A Feudal Marriage
by IMissAremid
Summary: Sami determines the only way she can get peace for her family is by marrying E.J. under the terms of ending the DiMera vendetta. But what happens when Sami considers other benefits of married life, and how does E.J. cope with waiting for her to see them?
1. Chapter 1

A Feudal Marriage

Chapter 1

"Sami, I know you're dead set on ending this feud, but I really don't think this is such a good idea," Lucas said impatiently as he and his wife lingered around the docks waiting.

"Well, do you have a better idea to end the feud, Lucas?" Sami said with exasperation. "My family will never get any peace without this folio. Our twins will never get any peace until this is all resolved and this is the place Celeste said we could find the folio. Have you really looked through all those crates already?"

Sami wearily tugged at her swelling stomach. She was due with her twins any day now. She had been told most women gave birth to twins early, but she had not been so lucky. Instead, she continued to tote them around without complaint just as she had the equally heavy and cumbersome burden of ending the feud, an issue her husband seemed to have little interest in to her frustration.

Celeste had told Sami that the folio would be stowed away at the pier, but as they searched in vain turning up nothing a sneaking suspicion told her it may have been a set up.

She was just about to tell Lucas maybe they should just give up and go home, but approaching footsteps prevented her from getting out all the words.

"Lucas, do you hear that? Maybe we should…" Sami said before being interrupted with a familiar but extremely unfriendly face stepping out of the shadows.

"Maybe you should what, Samantha?" Andre asked, his nostrils flared and his arm pointing a gun at Samantha's stomach. "Maybe you should stop meddling in my affairs in your vain hope that you can end the vendetta. Oh yes, I agree with that."

Sami frowned in despair but didn't cry.

"Look, Andre, we'll give up if you just let us go, all right," Lucas blurted.

"Lucas," Sami said through clenched teeth, "we can't give up."

"Shut up, Sami," Lucas said with a scowl while Andre laughed.

"Oh, it's no use, Lucas," Andre said with a grin. "Even, if Sami had been cunning enough to lie to me just now I know that she wouldn't give up. That's why I need to eliminate her. And you."

Sami watched in horror as Andre quickly pulled the trigger and Lucas collapsed in a heap on the ground clutching his lower abdomen with his hand, red liquid oozing over his fingers.

Sami cowered over him.

"No, no, Lucas," Sami screamed then turned her attention to Andre. "He isn't even a Brady. Why did you do this? Why did you shoot him and not me?"

"Oh, don't worry, Sami," Andre said chuckling. "I fully intend to shoot you as well."

Sami stared in horror at the barrel of Andre's gun extended toward her, and she rubbed her swelled belly with her hand bracing for the incoming blast. When she heard the gun blast, she blinked hard.

But to her surprise, when her eyes reopened, she had not been hit. She looked down and saw no blood but watched instead as Andre gasped and collapsed into the water beneath the pier and a leather folio fell out of his left hand and onto the ground.

Sami clutched her heart trying to make sense of what happened when out of the shadows stepped E.J. holding a gun and looking wild. He reached down and picked up the folio and stuck it inside his suit.

"Are you all right, Samantha?" E.J. screamed with desperation. "Did he hurt you? Are the babies O.K.?"

Sami suddenly felt very faint as the shock of everything that had happened set in.

"Yes, E.J., I'm all right. The babies are all right," Sami mumbled, before looking down at Lucas and beginning to cry. "But Lucas isn't."

E.J. raced toward her and wrapped his arms around the sobbing heap in front of him, clutching the back of her head and pressing it into his chest with one hand while the other hand fished in his pocket and retrieved a cell phone.

Sami heaved with sobs but somehow felt safe in those arms as E.J. called the authorities to let them know what happened and then flipped his phone shut before kissing the crown of her head.

Sami didn't know how many minutes elapsed as she stood there crying, soaking his shirt with her tears, but E.J. never stopped trying to calm her with both hands stroking her head lovingly and him whispering reassurances in her ears.

Suddenly, Sami looked up and there were even more guns, and she thought to herself she had seen more guns that night than she ever cared to see in her whole life.

"Salem P.D." Sami's father screamed. "Get your hands off my daughter if you want to live."

As E.J. backed away slowly, Sami shrieked that E.J. was just there to help her.

"Leave, E.J. alone," Sami screamed. "E.J. is just trying to help. He's just trying to calm me down so that I… I… I don't…"

But before Sami could finish the thought she looked down and realized her water had broke and she kneeled down to the ground with a piercing stab in her stomach.

"Sami, are you all right?" Roman said putting his gun away.

Ignoring the police, E.J. walked back toward Sami putting his arms around her face.

"Roman, I think she's going into labor," E.J. said as the two men stared at each other with fear and silent uncertainty.

Sami collapsed into a ball beside Lucas's unconscious and bleeding body and began to cry harder.

"Well, even so, Wells, I need to arrest you," Roman said.

"Arrest me for what?" E.J. asked angrily. "I just saved your daughter's life tonight."

"Maybe so," Roman said scowling. "But that doesn't change the fact I need to bring you in for the attempted murder of Lucas Roberts."

Sami saw them talking but couldn't really comprehend their conversation. All she could understand was the visceral pain in her abdomen and the emotional pain as she looked at her husband in a pool of blood beside her.

"Oh, what good will arresting me do, eh, Roman?" E.J. screamed as he bent down to caress Sami's face. "Your daughter needs me right now with these babies and all you Bradys need me if you ever want to end this damn feud." 

"You have the folio?" Roman asked nervously.

"Yes, I have the folio, Roman," E.J. said angrily as two whirring ambulances pulled up to the pier. "And I'll gladly give it to you just as soon as I see that Sami and the twins make it through this birth alive."

As the paramedics strapped Lucas into a stretcher and began wheeling him away, Kate showed up on the pier imploring Roman to tell her what happened.

"I don't know, Kate," Roman said sighing. "But I think you should go with him. I need to take care of my own daughter. She's having the twins."

"The twins? Now?" Kate said in shock, but was quickly distracted by the sight of her bloody son being carted away and trailed after the gurney climbing into the ambulance behind the paramedics.

"Oh, E.J.," Sami cried as Lucas's ambulance drove away and another stabbing pain set in and she clutched at the lapel of his suit coat. "I don't know what I'm going to do. And I don't know what I'd do with out you."

E.J. continued soothing her and caressing the back of her head.

"I'm here for you, Samantha. Everything will be all right," he whispered before turning his attention to her father. "So what is it, Roman? Is your hatred for me and your desire to bring me to justice greater than your love for your daughter and your family?"

Roman scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun as he reluctantly realized he had no choice but to allow E.J. to accompany Sami to the hospital and waved Sami and E.J. into the second ambulance.

"Dammit," Roman said slamming the back door of the ambulance shut.

Chapter 2

Sami looked up at the lights above her head and realized she was lying in a hospital bed. She didn't remember when she had been moved from that ambulance that had caused her stomach to jumble with each sudden start and stop, but she did recall E.J.'s face staring at her with concern and his firm hand wrapped around hers, just as those same things were with her in the hospital room, too.

Still, Sami couldn't get the image of Lucas and the pool of blood out of her head and just as she remembered the blood spurting out of his torso, salty tears spurted out of her eye sockets in a similar gush as she cried hysterically.

E.J. tried desperately to calm her while the nurses frantically screamed about her blood pressure.

In the haze of her despair Sami thought she heard them all yelling about her need to concentrate or she would miscarry and E.J. imploring her to focus and thought she saw the nurses rushing around her as machines buzzed and flashed in warning, but none of it penetrated the fog of doom she felt about everything in her life as she laid in that hospital bed in excruciating pain.

At least not until she looked up and saw E.J.'s concerned face bend down suddenly and plant a deep and passionate kiss on her lips, one she reciprocated just as passionately before she realized what was happening and pushed him away.

"E.J.!" Sami screamed. "What are you doing? You have no right to kiss me like that! You know I hate you!"

"Yes, Samantha," E.J. said with a wild look in his eyes. "You hate me. I know you do. But now I've got your attention. And you need to focus on that right now. Put everything else out of her head except your hatred for me, darling. You need to focus. For these babies, you need to concentrate."

Sami sighed not fully understanding and laid her head back on the bed as more tears fell from her face and she grimaced as another stabbing pain reverberated through her lower abdomen.

"O.K. Listen. Shhh. Samantha, hey, look at me. Look at me. I want you to breathe with me. O.K.? Relax. No talking," E.J. said putting his right index finger up to his lips and leaning toward her as she sat up in the bed. "Breathe."

Sami's tears began to dry up as she locked eyes with E.J. once more.

"Deep breaths. Come on. Come on," E.J. said cupping the sides of her face with his large hands as the two of them breathed together and Sami calmed down. "It's O.K. It's O.K. Deep breaths. It's O.K. It's O.K. It's O.K…"

Sami complied and began to push as E.J. and the nurses instructed. E.J. held out his hand for Sami to squeeze when she got another contraction and some minutes later she did so, clamping down with more energy and strength than E.J. realized Sami could muster.

As the contraction subsided, E.J. pulled his hand back and shook off the tingling sensation.

"I don't think I'm going to be wrapping that hand around a steering wheel for a while," E.J. muttered to himself.

"What was that, E.J.?" Sami asked, her eyes shut with weariness.

"Nothing, sweetheart," E.J. said. "You're doing a great job."

Despite the twinge of pain, E.J. smiled with admiration as he really did believe Sami was doing a great job bearing those twins. And even though he had begrudgingly begun to accept they weren't his, he also knew a part of them were still her and he was thrilled to be a part of the moment in welcoming them to the world.

Following several hours of intense labor, the babies finally were born. After a few minutes of cleaning the babies and doing a few quick tests, one nurse walked in with a swaddled bundle of warmth to present Sami with her new son whom she lovingly took into her arms. And less than thirty seconds later, another nurse walked in with another precious package wrapped in cloth and extended it to E.J.

"Here's your daughter," the nurse said.

"Oh," E.J. said staring at the small infant and gripping his face with embarrassment. "She's not mine. I don't think I should hold her."

"E.J., it's fine," Sami said smiling widely. "She needs to be held. And I trust you to take care of her. You really took care of me today."

E.J. sighed and beamed looking first at Sami and then down at the little girl in his arms with the pink bow fastened around the tiny bit of brown hair she had around her head.

"She's beautiful," E.J. said smiling. "What are you going to name her?"

Sami had thought a lot about baby names but she hadn't ever reached a decision with Lucas before she went into labor. Yet when she saw her a few feet away, she knew.

"Sofia," Sami said. "I always liked that name."

"Sofia. It is a great name," E.J. said with a smile. "Sofia and Samantha."

Sami watched E.J. smiling at the child in his arms and for the first time realized how seriously he cared for it, how much he had wanted to be a father to her children. She stared at him coddling the cooing baby and a part of her wished the children had been his, if only she could see this side of E.J. in this moment again. But when E.J. seemed to notice her gaze and glanced back at her she turned her attention back to the boy in her own arms.

"So have you settled on a name for the boy?" E.J. asked.

"Oh, well, I was wanting something of a family name for him," Sami said, swaying him lightly in her arms. "I was thinking Eric Roman would be a good name."

"Eric Roman?" E.J. asked.

"Yes, Eric Roman," Sami said perturbed. "Is it so terrible if I want to name my son after my twin brother and my dad?"

"Well, no, it's not that Samantha," E.J. said delicately. "It's just while I'm sure he'll come to appreciate hospitals one day, are you sure your son will want to go around the rest of his life as E.R.?"

"I guess you have a point," Sami said. "Well what about Eric John? I mean John did raise me as a father for a number of years."

"E.J.?" E.J. laughed. "I don't think your family would go for that… even if the name really has nothing to do with me."

"Well, who says it would have nothing to do with you?" Sami said suddenly. "I mean you did rescue me tonight and you did help me get through this and if it wasn't for you, well who knows if my daughter and my son would even…"

E.J. slid in the bed next to Sami as she started to cry and put one arm around her while the other still cradled Sofia.

"Shhhh. Don't say that," E.J. said. "Don't even think about that."

"Well, it's the truth," Sami said with water squirting from her eyes. "I don't know what I'd have done without you. I don't know what Sofia and Eric John would have done without you. And if my family has a problem with it they'll just have to get over it."

E.J. grinned at Sami's stubborn expression and kissed the crown of her head. The two of them looked at each other and laughed and smiled as they marveled with wonder at the tiny people in front of them.

But their merriment did not last long before they were interrupted.

"Ahem," Kate said bitterly as she and Roman walked into the hospital room. "I see my grandchildren are born. Well, I just wanted you to know that my son is out of intensive care – that is if his wife even cares."

"Lucas," Sami said for the first time in hours reliving the horror at the pier and staring in shock.

"Yes, Lucas," Kate said. "The father of your children unlike that murderous bastard you seem content to share your bed with."

"Hey!" Sami screamed. "You can't talk to him like that. E.J.'s a hero. He saved me and Lucas tonight by taking out Andre. You did catch Andre didn't you, dad?"

"Well, we searched the harbor but we didn't turn up anything," Roman said with frustration. "Hopefully we'll find something tomorrow. But in the meantime I think E.J. should hand over that baby to her grandma while he and I go down to the station."

"What?" Sami said with concern. "Why? Why does he have to go?"

"Because he tried to kill my son," Kate screamed as she took Sofia from E.J.'s arms while E.J. cringed but said nothing.

"But he saved your son, Kate," Sami said with confusion. "E.J. was the one who broke through that lock so we could get him out of the ice truck. Dad?"

"And E.J. is the one who put him in that ice truck," Roman said sternly.

"Sami, I ran into E.J. on the pier just a few days before Lucas was locked in that truck," Kate said excitedly. "And E.J. was drunk as a skunk crying over you and these babies that aren't his and he told me he was going to see to it that Lucas was dead so he could have you for his own. I didn't want to believe he'd be so stupid to act on it after he sobered up, but you sure do have a way of making men do stupid things, don't you, Sami?"

"Enough," Roman said interrupting while a shocked Sami covered her mouth and E.J. said nothing. "It's time to go down to the station."

"Yes, Roman, it's time to arrest me before I cause Samantha any more pain," E.J. finally said with resignation looking back at Sami before turning toward Kate. "I really do wish Lucas a speedy recovery from Andre's shooting. Samantha's going to need all the help she can get with those twins."

Sami began to cry as she watched E.J. willingly walk out the door with her father pushing him from behind. Then suddenly E.J. stopped and turned back around to come back to Sami's bed side.

"I almost forgot," E.J. said. "Sorry, Roman, but remember I promised I would do this if you let me help Samantha with the birth."

E.J. removed the folio from inside his suit coat and laid it in Sami's lap on the bed.

"I hope this gives you the peace and security you desperately crave, Samantha," E.J. said before walking out the door of the hospital room with Roman.

Sami cried once more at the sight of him walking out of the room, but it was more than that causing the tears to flood her face. It was the thought of seeing him walk out of her life. For good.

Chapter 3

After several hours of restless sleep with the leather folio clutched inside her arms, Sami awoke and found her mother sitting at her bedside telling her she wanted to escort her up to Lucas's hospital room.

Unable to put it down for fear she might lose it, Sami clutched the folio tightly desperately wondering what was inside, yet another part of her was afraid at what she might find. She had wanted to open it as soon as she woke up but Marlena had told Sami it could wait.

"But what about the twins, Mom?" Sami asked with fright as she looked down at her stomach and remembered she no longer carried them inside her. "Where are they?"

"They are perfectly fine being watched by your Aunt Kayla and Uncle Steve, right now," Marlena said. "Come on. It's time to see your husband. He needs you."

"Lucas always needs me," Sami thought with some bitterness as they shuffled toward the elevator with Sami toting the folio.

Sami had always been an extremely self-reliant if sometimes self-destructive person, but ever since she rekindled her relationship with Lucas he always seemed to be pulling her down like an anchor to keep her from causing too much trouble, which may have been a good thing, but also keeping her from having hardly any excitement or fun. There was also the annoying fact she always had to rescue him or worse, get E.J. to help rescue him, while at the same time he was so helpless she had to constantly soothe his insecurities and walk on eggshells to protect his fragile ego. It had all grown so tiring, so draining, Sami thought as she looked down on his sleeping body attached to tubes connected to beeping machines and flashing monitors nearby and she wondered how she would manage to take care of him and her three children.

"He looks so weak," Sami said finally.

"Well, he lost a lot of blood," Marlena said. "He's very lucky to be alive. If the ambulance hadn't been called when it was, the doctors said he wouldn't have made it."

"Well, thank God E.J. was there to call the paramedics so quickly," Sami said excitedly then hung her down in shame.

Marlena eyed her daughter with a bit of skepticism.

"But too bad his crazy family had to shoot him, Sami," Marlena said. "And too bad E.J. had to shoot John. You know, Roman told me yesterday about how he found out Andre was in Ireland at the time of Lucas's attack and E.J. had purchased gloves identical to the ones found in a dumpster near the ice truck so that was how they brought him in. I'm so glad that man is finally behind bars where he belongs, especially after he raped you."

"Mom, don't… not now," Sami said rubbing her head as if she had a headache.

"Sorry, I know you've been through a lot and you don't need me dragging up the past," Marlena said. "But I'm just so glad you and Lucas will finally be free of him and can move on in your new life together and you'll never have to see E.J. Wells again."

Sami sighed and wondered why that sounded so depressing. Then she remembered how relieved she had been to see him when he saved her from Andre, all the times he had saved her, and she remembered how safe she felt in EJ's strong arms waiting for the ambulance to arrive. She remembered his soothing words and smiling face as she struggled to give birth and she remembered the pure joy on his face as he held her baby girl in his arms. Then Sami looked at Lucas's arms, lifeless and filled with IVs and realized it would be quite a while before those arms would be holding her daughter.

"I'm just glad that no matter what has happened that Lucas is going to come out of all of this completely healthy and as good as new," Sami said with hope that by feigning optimism she might be able to feel it.

"Well, I don't know about all that, Sami. I think you should really speak to the doctor when he comes back so he can explain…" Marlena said with hesitation.

"Explain what, Mom?" Sami said impatiently. "Tell me. Is Lucas going to die?"

"No, he'll live, Sami. It's not that," Marlena said uncomfortably. "It's just that after this shooting his life… and your life… may never be the same."

"What do you mean?" Sami asked. "Is it brain damage? Is he paralyzed? Oh God."

"No, no, no," Marlena said laughing. "Oh I guess I should just blurt it out so I don't worry you any more than need be, but I'm trying to put this delicately. You see, the shot hit him in the lower abdomen and while he should be able to walk and talk fine and hold a job just fine in the future it's just that the injury has rendered him permanently… impotent."

"Impotent?" Sami asked.

Even though a part of her had been growing more and more tired of his advances even as she was nearing the final weeks of her pregnancy, she wasn't expecting or hoping for this. Sami sat down in a chair and covered her face with her hands in shock.

"But you two can get through this, Sami," Marlena said. "It's not the end of the world. You still have these amazing and adorable little babies together to take care of."

"And I'll never have any more babies," Sami said mournfully.

"Well there's always adoption," Marlena said sitting in a chair beside Sami and wiping her bangs out of her daughter's eyes. "Oh come on, Sami. You can't sulk about this. Your husband needs you to support him. Sex isn't everything in a marriage."

"Oh that's funny coming from you, Mom," Sami snapped suddenly, "When sex with John was more important than your marriage to my dad."

Sami covered her mouth in horror at the angry words while she watched them pierce deep into her mother's heart.

"Wait… Mom… I didn't mean that," Sami said as Marlena got up to leave the room with tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"No, Sami," Marlena said stopping in the doorway of Lucas's room. "You did mean it. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. But you did mean those words. And you're right that sex does matter. I can't lie to you about that. Not again."

Sami sunk into the chair beginning to cry when a knock at the door had her quickly wiping away the corners of her eyes and sniffling as Billie entered the room.

"Hey Sami," Billie said walking over to her sister-in-law and giving her a big hug.

"He doesn't look too good, Billie," Sami said as she looked over at Lucas.

"You should have seen him last night," Billie said. "But I tell you who does look good. Those twins of yours are adorable. Sofia and Eric John, is it? Cute names."

"Thanks," Sami said. "I just wish I could have run them by Lucas, but we could never agree on anything."

"My brother can be a little stubborn at times," Billie said. "OK, maybe a lot."

They both laughed.

"Billie, thanks for coming by and cheering me up," Sami said. "It just seems like I keep getting one piece of bad news after another."

"What do you mean?" Billie said. "My mom told me E.J. Wells is in jail. That's good news, right?"

"Oh, that, yes, that's good news," Sami said scratching her head.

"You almost sound like you believe that, Sami," Billie said as her arms folded.

"Look, I just am having a really hard time understanding it all, OK?" Sami said pacing. "I mean I really thought he'd changed. It's just… he did change all right because he saved Lucas from the truck and he rescued me tonight from Andre and helped my family get the folio. He went against his own family for us, Billie. And he really did care about my children's safety even after he found out they weren't his. At least that's what it seemed like. I guess I sound pretty naïve. I suppose if E.J. planned it so he could be the hero rescuing Lucas from the ice truck even when he locked him in there, I bet he was the one blackmailing Nick Fallon all along to get him to say the paternity test showed him the father."

"But I thought my mom admitted that?" Billie said confused.

"What?" Sami asked. "Kate?"

"Lucas told me when we talked earlier this week that Kate had confessed," Billie said nonchalantly. "He didn't tell you? Oh boy…"

"No, he didn't tell me!" Sami said furiously. "So Kate was willing to throw her own grandchildren to the wolves, to the DiMeras, just so she would have something to try and cause a wedge between me and Lucas? That bitch!"

"Sami, I'm sorry, maybe you should sit and calm down," Billie said.

"No, I will not calm down!" Sami said. "These children almost died because of Kate! Stefano nearly cut open my womb and stole them from my body because of her lies and manipulations. She's just as big of a monster as Stefano in my book!"

"Now Sami," Billie said delicately. "That's hardly fair."

"What's unfair is that woman almost killed my babies and I let her hold my grandchildren!" Sami said. "And Lucas knew this?! He knew this and he didn't tell me? It's always about protecting Kate with him isn't it? She always comes first."

"Sami, I'm sure he was going to tell you in due time," Billie said. "I bet he just didn't want to upset you when you were so close to having the babies."

"No, no that's not it," Sami said touching her index finger to her lips deep in thought. "He wanted me to think it was E.J. who had the paternity tests switched. He wanted me to think that so I would keep hating E.J., because he's so damn insecure about him."

"Do you blame him for being insecure, Sami?" Billie asked with exasperation. "He's good-looking; he's charming; he's handsome; he's wealthy. I know. I've been there and had the crush on him, too. But in your case there's also the way he's always around you, always being the one to rescue you, always flirting with you and for some reason you let him even after you say he raped you."

"Hey, just what's that supposed to mean?" Sami asked angrily.

"Whatever you think it means, Sami," Billie said in a huff. "Look, I need to get some fresh air. I'll see you later."

Sami sighed as she pondered Billie's words and sat back down in the chair. She decided she didn't want to think about them and didn't want to think about her husband in the hospital bed either so she picked up the folio off the floor and opened it.

After taking several minutes to examine the folio's contents, she was shocked.

"I have to go see E.J.," Sami said.

Chapter 4

It wasn't long after reading the contents of the folio that Sami headed back to her room filled with confusion and anger and wanting nothing more than to see E.J. again and talk to him.

To her surprise and delight as she paced her hospital room, she found her mother's purse leaning against the wall on the floor, quickly reached inside to retrieve the keys and got dressed.

It wasn't hard for Sami to sneak out of the hospital. After all, it seemed like she already had so much practice doing it.

She felt a twinge of guilt as she tiptoed past the doorway of the waiting room where all her family had gathered around her twins. She felt bad not telling them she was leaving and knew when they saw her empty room and couldn't find her there or at Lucas's bedside that they'd all be sick with worry. But she couldn't let that get in her way because what she was doing was for them, even if they might not realize or appreciate it.

It wasn't a long drive before she was at the police station. She was glad that she knew both Roman and Bo were at the hospital so she wouldn't have to worry about them asking any questions when she went to see E.J.

As she walked up to the desk outside the jail, Sami was happy to find she didn't recognize the cop on duty.

"Hi, how are you, uh, Bill?" Sami said scanning his nametag and batting her eyelashes with all the charm she could muster. "I always liked that name. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe I could have a little chat with one of your inmates. I won't take very long."

"Visiting hours are over, miss," Bill said, unimpressed.

"Yes, I know that, Bill," Sami said sighing with frustration that she would have to play her trump card after all. "But don't you think you can make an exception for Roman Brady's daughter?"

"You're Commander Brady's daughter?" the man said with surprise.

"That's me. Sami Brady," Sami smiled. "So now that that's out of the way I'm sure you can fetch E.J. Wells from his cell so that I might have a word with him."

"Well, no," Bill said shaking his head. "I can't do that. Boss would get my badge for sure if I let E.J. Wells talk to you."

"Not if me talking to him gets the information my dad needs to put him away for good," Sami said. "See, I know he's worried about me and I understand that. But I just know if I talk to E.J. I'll be able to help him break this case wide open. Now of course, he'd be a little upset with both of us if he found out I had been the one to get that information from E.J. so what if I talk to him and get the scoop and fill you in afterward and then it'll just be our little secret when my dad gives you that big promotion."

"Hmmmm. I suppose I could let you speak to Wells for just a few minutes. There is a patrol sergeant opening coming up," Bill said wistfully. "And I have been stuck behind this desk for far too long."

"I'm sure that after this my dad will keep you far away from this desk," Sami said as Bill escorted her to a seat in the visiting room.

As she waited for E.J. to appear on the other side of the glass in front of her, she set the folio on the counter and reopened it.

Inside, she found a letter that to her surprise was in English penned by Santo on his deathbed and that explained how Shawn had confessed to Father Mallory about covering up Colleen's affair with Santo and the priest had taken it upon himself to warn Pete that his church could no longer have her for a nun. Pete took the news very poorly and in a rage got his gun and headed to the inn in Doolin where Santo was staying. Pete burst into Santo's room and found him in bed, alone, or so he thought. He took aim ready to shoot Santo in cold blood, but when Colleen realized what was happening she threw off the sheets and blanket covering her to plea for the life of her lover. Unfortunately, it was too late, and Pete had already pulled the trigger and the bullet intended for Santo struck his daughter instead. Colleen died in Santo's arms. And this all happened the same night she had finally told Santo she would leave her vows and marry him and Santo had presented her with a claddagh ring he had bought in a jewelry store in Galway. That ring was in the folio too, as well as another Phoenix ring bearing the DiMera family insignia that would have been their wedding rings. Though yellowed by the passing of five decades, another piece of paper in the folio showed what would have been their marriage certificate but though the Brady and DiMera names had been entered onto the document the date and the signature of the witnesses had not, because Colleen and Santo never married and instead Colleen was locked away in the church forever to be buried a sister while Santo lamented her death and plotted revenge on the Bradys swearing every last one of them would have to suffer the way that he did in losing Colleen unless another Brady wed a DiMera.

As Sami heard the shuffling footsteps approaching the other side of the glass, she quickly shoved the papers and the rings back into the folio.

When E.J. appeared walking up toward the seat on the other side of the glass in the orange jumpsuit, Sami thought she hardly recognized him.

Sure she had seen him with a scruffy beard before and she'd seen him upset, but not like this. Not with his shoulders slumped and completely without the tiniest trace of a grin anywhere within the corners of his mouth.

But Sami thought she saw E.J.'s eyes light up when they locked with hers. She smiled to herself as she watched E.J. attempt to smooth his messy hair and adjust the sleeves of the jumpsuit to make himself more presentable as he sat down.

"You look like hell," Sami said flatly.

"I'm tired," E.J. said defensively.

"I'm sorry," Sami apologized. "I shouldn't have said that. It's just that I'm so used to seeing you so well dressed and put together that…"

"No need to apologize. I certainly feel like hell so I shouldn't be surprised if you think I look it," E.J. said before he let out a big sigh. "But you, you look heavenly as always, Samantha. Especially right now."

Sami could feel herself blushing on the inside, but she refused to let E.J. know how much those words affected her.

"E.J., I did not come here to be flattered by you," Sami said impatiently.

"Well then why did you come here?" E.J. asked. "No one else has."

"You mean your father hasn't been here to see you?" Sami asked with pity in her heart and concern in her eyes.

"No, he's not big on jails. For some reason he has this fear of coming to visit them but be locked up himself. I have no idea why," E.J. said chuckling. "Plus, I think Stefano might be a little angry with me over the whole Andre thing. I have a sneaking suspicion that one got me disinherited."

"I'm sorry, E.J. I really do appreciate you doing that and doing all you did to go against your family to save my life, to save my children's lives," Sami said putting her right hand against the glass.

"It was nothing," E.J. said pressing his left hand in the same place. "It doesn't take away all the things I've done to hurt you or those that you care about. I'm just glad that you're safe. By the way, that reminds me of that folio. Did that give you what your family needed to end the vendetta?"

Sami bit her lip and sighed.

"Sort of," Sami said. "It explained how Colleen died. I guess Colleen's father, Pete, found out she wanted to leave the church for Santo and he went to kill him but wound up shooting Colleen instead."

The thought of such a tragedy tore at Sami's heart as she imagined what it must've been like for Colleen in those final moments as she went from such bliss with the man that she loved with all her heart and soul to dying in his arms at the hand of her own family. E.J. seemed to notice the sorrow that she had thought she had well concealed as he offered his condolences.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," E.J. sighed. "If only we could end all this pointless suffering once and for all. If only I could end the suffering and die for you now."

Sami had been staring into space when she first heard him start speaking, but when he uttered the words "die for you now" she was snapped back to reality.

"You can't talk like that, E.J.!" Sami screamed. "You need to end the suffering by marrying me!"

"What?" E.J. asked with shock. "Did you say you want me to marry you, Samantha?"

"No, I don't want you to marry me, E.J. You are marrying me. End of discussion," Sami said abruptly. "According to what's in this folio, the only way this feud will end is if the two of us get married."

"But Sami, what about Lucas?" E.J. asked. "You're already married to him. He loves you."

"Pffft. Don't pretend you care about Lucas," Sami scoffed. "You tried to kill him, remember?"

E.J. cleared his throat rather than responding so as not to incriminate himself with an admission and he changed the subject.

"Sami, if you marry me you'll be miserable. You love Lucas and you hate me. You've made that abundantly clear," E.J. said with resignation. "As much as I want more than anything for you to be my wife, I can't marry you when I know that peace for your family isn't worth the misery that a marriage to me would cause you. I love you too much for that to happen."

Sami rolled her eyes at E.J.'s chivalry.

"Give me a break. You have proven time and again that you can and will do anything to get me. You will lie, you will manipulate, you will blackmail..." Sami said furiously before leaning into whisper. "And you will even try to kill to have me for yourself. So spare me this nobility crap. After everything you've done, you don't get to be noble."

"I suppose you're right, Samantha," E.J. said folding his hands on the counter. "I am and have done many horrible, unforgivable things. I have no right to refuse anything you ask of me, sweetheart. So if you think marrying me will help you get what you want then I will gladly be your husband."

"O.K. But don't get any ideas," Sami said suddenly. "This is purely about ending the feud. It's not about love. It's not about romance. It's not about…"

Sami knew she meant to say "sex" but for some reason the word got stuck in her throat.

"You were saying?" E.J. said with a curious grin on his face.

"Never mind," Sami said shaking her head. "Anyway, the first thing we have to do is find a way of getting you out of this jail."

"Just what do you have in mind, darling?" E.J. asked. "I know Salem police officers aren't all that bright, but I don't think even they would fall for the whole cake with a file in it routine and…"

"Oh, shut up," Sami said. "I'll take care of it. Don't you worry."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 5

Sami rubbed her arms with fear and uncertainty as she stood outside the DiMera mansion trying to gather the courage to ring the doorbell.

She tried to convince herself that she was brave and that she could do this, but all she could think about was the day she fell through the French doors and nearly died from her argument with Andre and the day she stood in front of those same doors with a gun pressed in Stefano's chest but she didn't have the guts to pull the trigger.

Sami thought about all the times Lucas and her family had told her that she couldn't take on the DiMeras herself as if she were some "one-woman army" and nearly turned back as she heard their discouraging words in her mind.

But then she heard another voice urging her on, the voice of E.J. the day that Stefano had first proposed the idea of her ending the feud by marrying E.J. when he told her that she was many things but not a coward.

Sami was surprised to see Dr. Rolf answering the door, but then she remembered that Bart had died. Or at least she thought he had. "If it took," she thought.

"Come in, Samantha," Stefano said warmly welcoming her into his home. "I see you are no longer with child, do I understand the birth went well for you and the twins?"

"Yes, Stefano," Sami said biting her lip. "I was able to deliver two healthy and happy babies. No thanks to Andre."

"No thanks to Andre? How dare you come into my home and insult my son, a son who was killed because of you?" Stefano roared.

"I'm… I'm… sorry, Stefano," Sami whimpered. "I didn't mean for that to come out…"

"What did you mean? Why are you here besides to waste my valuable time and insult my family the way you Bradys always do?" Stefano said angrily.

"Well, I'm here to talk to you about another son of yours," Sami said sheepishly.

"What son?" Stefano asked. "I had no son save Andre."

"Stefano, I'm talking about E.J. and you know it," Sami sighed.

"What about him?" Stefano said furrowing his brow with interest.

"I'm here to tell you that I've decided I will marry E.J. if you call off the vendetta," Sami blurted out quickly before she could change her mind.

"Why should I call off the vendetta just because you realized you're with a boring fool and decide to leave him for someone better?" Stefano asked.

"Because that was the deal you proposed before. And I know that is the terms your father set forth for ending the feud, Stefano," Sami said with frustration.

"It is," Stefano admitted walking over to pour himself a glass of brandy and then taking a sip. "So tell me, Samantha, what changed your mind?"

"My babies," Sami said. "I can't let them, I won't let them grow up with this feud still raging all around them. I have to end it for them."

"But you do know that you will have to raise them as DiMeras, no matter how Lucas feels about that, right?" Stefano asked.

Sami gulped.

"Yes, I know that," she said.

Stefano smiled at the selfishness and shrewdness of the woman standing before him and was warmed by the thought of what a fine DiMera she'd make. All this time he had thought she was E.J.'s achilles heel yet in her cunning and bravado he knew that with her at E.J.'s side he just might be able to mold him to become more ruthless than ever and eventually turn over the family legacy to his crown prince after all.

"Then it's settled," Stefano said kissing Sami on the cheek. "You will marry E.J. as soon as possible and the feud can end and all you Bradys can live in peace from us DiMeras."

"That's great Stefano, but there's just one thing," Sami said nervously. "How am I supposed to marry E.J. when he's in jail?"

"That is a problem," Stefano said with a laugh. "Thankfully it won't be a problem for long. I happen to know a sympathetic judge or two that might be able to pull some strings. But tell me, Samantha, have you told your family yet of your decision?"

"Actually, Stefano, no," Sami admitted. "I was afraid if I didn't come here without talking to them first they might talk me out of it. I'm going to the Brady Pub right now to tell them my decision."

"Good luck with that," Stefano said as Sami headed out of the mansion.

When the front door slammed shut behind her, Andre stepped out from behind the curtain.

"Did you hear that Andre?" Stefano asked. "My plan is working perfectly. We'll have E.J. back into the fold in no time."

"Father, pardon me if I don't fully understand this scheme of yours," Andre said. "And even if I did have that bulletproof vest when you sent me to that pier to kill Lucas Roberts, don't you think not letting E.J. in on the plan was a lot riskier than it need have been?"

"E.J. is still not trustworthy, Andre, and he cannot know any of our plans," Stefano said sharply. "Why are you complaining about this now when everything worked perfectly and you were unhurt by the shooting and you successfully avoided police capture for Lucas's shooting?"

"But if E.J. is so untrustworthy why does it matter if he is still a part of this family?" Andre sighed.

"For his children," Stefano said. "We must have heirs for this family and these children must be raised as DiMeras."

"And just how long are you going to keep it a secret from them that E.J. is the father of the twins and not Lucas – that we switched the results at the hospital," Andre asked.

"The secret will be kept forever," Stefano said. "He must never know they are his biological children. For if he thinks they are Lucas's he is more likely to let me use and shape them as I wish."

"I see," Andre said pursing his lips with frustration that the wedding news seemed to have restored E.J. to Stefano's good graces and as the favored DiMera son. "So Samantha should be on her way to the pub by now… do you want me to the follow her?"

"Ahhh, the Brady Pub," Stefano said with a laugh. "Even though that is a little common for my tastes, I'm feeling a little thirsty for some cheap beer. Maybe I should pay my friends, the Bradys, a visit myself to see how they're taking Samantha's news."

Chapter 6

"Sami, where have you been?" Marlena screamed. "We've been worried sick about you!"

Sami gulped as she shut the door of the Brady Pub behind her and stepped inside to greet the assembled family members she had called to tell them her big news – that Sami Brady, the black sheep, the scourge of the family, would become the hero after all and bring all of them peace forever. But as she stared at the stern faces of her mother, father, John, Bo and Hope, while Steve and Kayla cared for the twins elsewhere and Lucas still rested in the hospital, she searched herself for the courage to admit to what she had set in motion.

"Sorry, Mom, I've been busy," Sami said slowly and deliberately. "I looked through the folio and I had to take care of some things. And I decided I'm going to take care of all of you by ending the feud once and for all."

"But how, Sami?" Bo asked. "Stefano doesn't need the stem cells any more and we know they wouldn't be a match any way."

"It's not about stem cells," Sami said with some irritation. "It's about the other terms Stefano offered to end the feud. I'm going to marry E.J."

"What da hell, Sami?" Roman asked while the others murmured similar expressions of shock and disappointment.

"You're going to leave your husband now when he needs you most?" Hope asked with disapproval.

"Well, my children need me to end this feud, too. And this is the only way this is all going to end," Sami said defensively. "I have to marry E.J. or my children will never get peace. You all will never get any peace."

"Sami," Marlena said pulling her daughter aside to talk privately. "You can't give up on your husband in the state he's in right now. He needs you to support him, to be there for him. Is this about his impotency? You know there is a chance that with the right prescription drugs or maybe some experimental procedures that…"

"This is NOT about sex!" Sami screamed before pausing to gather herself. "I talked to E.J. and he knows full well that the only reason I am marrying him is to end the feud and he's O.K. with that."

"You talked to E.J.? When?" Roman asked angrily.

"Well, after I left the hospital I went to the jail and just had a little chat with him and he said he'd do it," Sami said hanging her head in shame.

"You went to the jail?" Roman said throwing his hands in the air. "Unbelievable. And you think you actually had to ask E.J. if he'd marry you? After all he's put you through, put everyone through trying to get his hands on you?"

"Look, I know what E.J. has done to me and everyone else," Sami said. "But I just had to make sure he was on board with ending the feud and he totally agrees with me on that. And so does Stefano for that matter."

"Stefano?" John asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Stefano," Sami said biting her lip. "After I went to the jail I went to the DiMera mansion and talked to Stefano and he said if I marry E.J. he'll call off the vendetta."

"And you believe him?!" Marlena screamed.

"Believe it," Stefano said entering the pub.

"It will be a cold day in hell before I believe a word you say," John said flatly.

When Stefano effected a fake shiver to mock him, John leapt out of his chair after the old man but Bo held him back.

"What's the catch?" Roman said interrupting.

"Catch?" Stefano said with a mocking quizzical look on his face. "There's no catch. Everything Samantha said is true. I will call off the vendetta if Sami and E.J. marry, I just need you to drop the charges against my son so he can go free."

"And what if I don't?" Roman asked.

"Well, then my lawyers will still free E.J. and after he beats the charges the vendetta will continue on indefinitely," Stefano said with a smile. "Your choice."

Roman sighed and traded looks of frustration with Marlena and the others. Sami noticed their looks and couldn't help being a bit annoyed by them.

"You know, I just thought you all would show a little more gratitude to me for what I'm doing," Sami said. "I mean 25 years this battle between the Bradys and DiMeras has raged and here I'm offering to end all the pain and suffering for you and I can't get a single thank you?"

"But Sami at this cost, it's not worth it," Hope said.

"What do I have to lose anyway?" Sami scoffed.

"Only the love of your life, Sami," Marlena scolded. "I know you care about this family but I can't let you deny yourself your own happiness with Lucas."

"What do you think, Dad?" Sami asked glaring at her mother. "Is it more important for me to put MY happiness before my family's?"

Roman sighed.

"Sami, I think it's great that you want to end all this suffering for this family and I really appreciate the sacrifice you're willing to make," Roman said finally. "But I just hate that we have to use you as a bargaining chip this way."

"Really?" Sami said snickering. "Well you didn't seem to have too much of a problem with using me when I was your bait all those times when you wanted to set up E.J. to arrest him even when there wasn't any evidence to do so."

Marlena gasped but Stefano roared with laughter at Sami's outburst.

"This one may make a nice addition to the family after all," Stefano said smirking.

Sami rolled her eyes at her future father-in-law before turning her attention back to her family.

"Now, I guess all we need to do is get Uncle Mickey to draw up the divorce papers…" Sami said before Stefano interrupted.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Stefano said. "Your marriage to Lucas Roberts was not legitimate."

"What?" Sami asked with shock.

"E.J. didn't tell you he hired that man to pretend to be a priest at your wedding?" Stefano asked laughing. "Oh, that devious boy. He's just full of surprises."

Sami found herself shaking her head at the revelation. She knew she should curse E.J. for manipulating her and the situation this way. Yet another part of her, the scheming bad girl side, couldn't help but admire E.J. for his cunning.

Chapter 7

Sami fiddled with the bodice of her white wedding gown in a mirror in a back room of St. Luke's trying to ensure everything looked just right then she stopped herself wondering just why she was so concerned with everything looking just right for this farce of a ceremony.

"Oh my God, Sami," Stephanie said panting as she entered the dressing room. "I was just out in the sanctuary and E.J. looks SO hot in his suit. You are so lucky to have that to come home to day after day. I hope you two have a great honeymoon."

"Stephanie!" Sami said with total frustration. "How can you talk like that?"

"What?" Stephanie asked. "You're not married yet and I'm not blind. I mean, Lucas was cute and all but E.J…"

"But E.J. fried your Dad's brain and you're talking about him like… like… he's some piece of meat?" Sami said with exasperation.

"Oh, you're right," Stephanie said snapped back from her lusty fantasies to reality. "Well, I'm just trying to be positive about all of this. I still don't know why you didn't have Belle or Chelsea as your maid of honor."

"Belle said no," Sami sighed. "Not that I blame her after E.J. shot John and went after Shawn because he had worked for him. And Chelsea? Well I couldn't even ask her on account of what I'm doing to Lucas. I'm sure if I made her a bride's maid Billie would show up here to pull Chelsea out of the ceremony by her hair."

"So I'm your maid of honor by default then?" Stephanie said folding her arms across her chest. "Is that it?"

"No, Stephanie," Sami said apologetically. "I really appreciate you doing this. The DiMeras have put us all through a lot and hopefully after today it all can stop and I appreciate you supporting me in this."

The two cousins hugged.

"Well, I appreciate you asking me to be in your wedding," Stephanie said finally. "Who knows if I will ever have one of my own?"

"What do you mean?" Sami asked.

"Oh nothing," Stephanie said. "Just problems with Jeremy. But you don't need to worry about that today. You just need to look beautiful. Whatever reason you're getting married Sami, it's still your wedding day."

"It is, isn't it?" Sami said laughing thinking about the ten wedding days she'd had before.

Yet as she followed Stephanie out of the dressing room toward the doors outside the sanctuary she laughed to herself thinking about how this wedding was somehow different than the rest.

As Stephanie and Sami waited for the music to play Stephanie asked her cousin if she was nervous.

"Me? Nervous? At this point, not really," Sami said laughing at all the weddings she had in the past. "Honestly, I think this is the first wedding I've had where I wasn't walking down the aisle just waiting for that other shoe to drop and my big secret to be revealed. This time the worst thing that can happen is I actually get married."

Sami laughed but Stephanie didn't as the string quartet began to play and her cousin walked down the aisle.

About thirty seconds later Sami heard the strains of "Here Comes the Bride" and knew that was her cue to enter.

As she walked down the aisle, she tried to hold her head up high proud of the sacrifice she was making for her family and pleased with herself that peace would finally belong to the Bradys.

Yet as she walked closer to the altar, she scanned the crowd of Bradys on the left side of the church and as she looked at Belle and Caroline and her father she couldn't help but be wounded by the look of fear and disgust in their faces as they contemplated the fate she had in store for herself. She tried to escape their knowing gazes by turning her attention to the other side of the crowd but there she found the judging eyes of people like Lexie Carver and Anna DiMera who glared with disapproval at her for all that she would bring to the DiMera family.

Sami felt like crying, but then she looked up at the altar and she saw E.J. Tall. Clean shaven. Wearing a perfectly tailored black suit with a black tie. Sami realized that her foolish cousin's gushing hadn't done justice to the way that man looked. Especially when she got a closer look of his face and could see all the fear and sadness she felt about what she was about to do mirrored in his own expressions. It was then that Sami truly knew that E.J. loved her, whatever his concept of love was, and that gave her the courage to move forward to the altar even as a tear slipped down her cheek.

But that sadness quickly turned to joy as Sami stepped past Marlena and John in the front row and the bouncing twins in their laps. Sami heard the cooing of Sofia and Eric John and she thought of how much better their lives would be with her marriage to E.J., which filled her with so much warmth the feeling radiated into a huge grin as she stepped up to face E.J.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the holy union of E.J. and Samantha," the priest said, prompting some snickers from both sides of the aisle at the mention of the phrase "holy union."

Undeterred, however, the priest continued.

"Who gives this woman?" he asked.

"Her mother and I," Roman said standing up and glaring at Stefano.

Sami's grin grew wider as she watched how nervous E.J. got as the ceremony continued and almost let out an audible giggle as she thought about the fact that this was her eleventh wedding while it was only E.J.'s first.

Yet even as the ceremony continued E.J.'s hands shook and Sami could hear him sighing with fear while it seemed that all of her trepidation about the nuptials had subsided. She watched these developments with curious amusement.

But that amusement turned to something else when she saw the look in his eyes as he took her hand and promised to love, honor and cherish her. She realized how seriously he took all of this and her grin turned stoic as she slid the Phoenix ring from the folio on E.J.'s finger and the reality of what they were doing set in.

Sami took a deep breath before she was asked if she would also love, honor and cherish E.J. and exhaled just as deeply before saying, "I do."

For the first time that day, a smile formed over E.J.'s face as he slid the claddagh ring onto Sami's ring finger and it fit perfectly.

Looking down at the ring, with its heart held by hands facing inward and its crown resting above, Sami thought about the symbolism of the token of their marriage and how the ring was meant to signify that her heart belonged to E.J. Sami couldn't help thinking about Colleen's heart and how she had meant to give her heart to Santo, but fate had intervened before she could get the chance. Sami looked up to face E.J. and sensed he was thinking about Colleen and Santo in that moment, too.

But all of those thoughts floated away as Sami was transported back to the moment by the words of the priest saying, "You may now kiss the bride."

The two of them stared at each other for about fifteen seconds before E.J. grasped Sami's chin with his thumb and forefinger then tilted her head to one side so he could kiss her cheek.

For reasons she didn't fully understand, Sami let out a loud laugh at that.

"E.J., if this is the only kiss you're getting, you might as well make it count," Sami said, grabbing the lapel of his suit and pulling him in for a passionate kiss he happily reciprocated.

Everyone in the crowd gasped save Stefano, who cheered, but Sami didn't notice their reactions. Especially when all of that was quickly drowned out by the sound of Lucas yelling.

"Hey, you, get your damn hands off my wife!" Lucas screamed racing down the aisle.

But before he could reach the altar, Rolf had stood up and pointed a gun at Lucas. This prompted Bo to unveil his concealed weapon and point his gun at Rolf.

"Can we stop this?" E.J. asked. "Can you both put your guns away so we can talk about this like adults?"

"Oh, you want to talk about this like adults, pal?" Lucas asked lunging toward E.J. who quickly dispatched the nuisance by applying the palm of his hand to Lucas's forehead while he stood on the altar and used his long arms and the distance between them to keep the pest at bay.

"Fine," Lucas said finally, giving up in his attempt of physically intimidate E.J. "Let's talk."

The three of them left the sanctuary to discuss things alone and shut the door behind them.

"So when were you gonna tell me Sami, huh?" Lucas asked. "When were you gonna tell me you were leaving me for old two-story? Couldn't even wait until I got out of the hospital thanks to those damn DiMeras?"

"Lucas, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to hurt you by…" Sami said before being interrupted.

"Oh, you didn't want to hurt me?" Lucas said laughing in anger. "That's rich. Because that's all you're doing is hurting me Sami. I know this marriage isn't about the feud."

"You do, do you?" Sami asked shooting him an incredulous glance. "Just what is it about?"

"It's about you wanting to be with E.J. and you using this feud as an excuse to be with him," Lucas said bitterly. "And to think I believed you that you were raped. What a fool I've been. Fool me once, Sami, shame on you. But fool me twice, well shame on me."

"Lucas, that's not fair!" Sami screamed.

"What's not fair is you abandoning me the second you found out I was impotent, Sami!" Lucas shrieked.

The three of them stood silently for a moment as the shock of those words died down. Lucas noticed they were unfamiliar to E.J.

"I see, Sami didn't tell you about my problem, E.J." Lucas said in a crazed voice. "Well, it's just as well. If Sami's gonna be your wife you need to get used to her keeping things from you."

"Hey…" Sami said with exasperation.

"Lucas, I think we've had quite enough," E.J. said standing in front of Sami and shielding her from her ex-husband's hateful words. "It's time for you to leave."

"Is it?" Lucas asked. "That's fine. I said everything I needed to say. Oh except for one thing. Sami, I hope you enjoyed your time with Sofia and Eric John because I'm gonna sue you for custody and you're never going to see them again when I'm done exposing all the horrible things you and E.J. have done."

As Lucas left the church and the door slammed behind him, Sami began to cry. But before any tears had fallen on her face, E.J. was on his knees extending a handkerchief and Sami couldn't help but smile at the gesture.

"E.J. What am I going to do?" Sami asked finally. "What judge is going to give custody of these children to me. Especially when I'm married to YOU?"

To Sami's surprise, E.J. laughed harder at those words than he had all day.

"Sweetheart," E.J. said cupping her face with his hands. "You don't need to worry about this. No matter how much money Lucas borrows from Kate to hire his lawyers, we'll get better ones. And they'll be sure to bury him just as soon as they bring up him kidnapping Will and almost killing him, all the drinking, how he has no job and of course, not to mention the Franco Kelly murder. Samantha, I know you may find this hard to believe, but there are some benefits to being a DiMera."

As Sami tried to wrap her head around that thought, E.J. intertwined his arm with hers and escorted her back into the sanctuary so they could personally greet all their wedding guests and invite them to the reception.

Chapter 8

"This place?" Stefano grumbled as he stepped foot inside the Brady Pub. "This is where you are having your reception?"

"Father, everywhere else was booked on such short notice," E.J. said as he escorted him to a table near the bar. "We didn't really have any other options."

"No other options?" Stefano scoffed. "Couldn't you have even gone a little more upscale with a night at Chez Rouge?"

"Stefano, I highly doubt the owner of Chez Rouge, Maggie Horton, is going to be bending over backward to do me any favors anytime soon when she is Lucas's aunt and AA sponsor and I have left him for E.J.," Sami said sighing.

"Even so," Stefano growled, "this party is boring."

E.J. rolled his eyes as Sami attempted to calm his simmering frustration at his father's petulance and push him away from confronting Stefano.

"Where is the dancing and the music?" Stefano asked impatiently opening his cell phone to place a call.

"What are you doing, Father?" E.J. asked.

"I'm going to make this celebration worthy of this family whether the Bradys like it or not," Stefano said to E.J. before turning his attention to the answering voice on the other side of the phone. "Hello. I was wondering how soon you can get the quartet together?"

"But there's no room in the pub for dancing," E.J. said with exasperation.

"That's good to hear. You will be rewarded handsomely for this," Stefano said closing his cell phone shut. "Elvis, there is plenty of room in the alley for dancing even if this pub is too small."

Annoyed, E.J. fiddled with his tie while Sami tried to calm his stormy mood. To their surprise, a string quartet arrived less than ten minutes later and the wedding party moved outside the pub to enjoy their playing.

"Now, this is a celebration," Stefano said happily. "Let's see some dancing."

"Father, I don't think this is such a good idea…" E.J. said nervously before Sami interrupted.

"What's the problem, E.J.?" Sami asked. "Did you forget to tango since last summer?"

E.J. grimaced but overhearing, Stefano said a tango sounded like a splendid idea and snapped his fingers instructing his quartet to provide the proper accompaniment.

To E.J.'s surprise, Sami responded by extending her hand inviting E.J. to join her in the alley when the music began.

"What are you doing?" E.J. asked.

"I'm just trying to have some fun," Sami said.

"Fun?" E.J. asked, his eyebrow askew. "You think this is fun?"

"O,K., maybe fun isn't the right word," Sami said pulling E.J. onto the dance floor. "But I'm willing to make the most of this if you are."

E.J. was very much willing to make the night whatever Sami willed it to be and he marveled at the passion and power behind her steps on the dance floor as the two of them tangoed even more fiercely, with even more longing than they had a little more than a year ago on the pier.

Sami was thrilled to discover E.J. had not lost a step since she last shared a dance with him and as he dipped her when the music ended her lips parted wishing he would kiss her, yet the words she attempted to whisper just couldn't escape her throat.

As E.J.'s caramel eyes locked into Sami's of cornflower blue, the two of them breathed heavily while E.J. lifted her back up but soon the spell was broken by the smattering of applause from the rest of the wedding party around them.

Sami was surprised to find even her family thrilled with the two of them for their passionate dance.

"I have to admit, kid, I didn't know you had it in you even if your dad did tell me you had won a tango contest before," Bo said patting Sami on the shoulder. "You two were pretty great out there."

"Clearly, it was the DiMera elegance and sophistication showing through in E.J.," Stefano said proudly.

"Actually, I think it was more Samantha's courage and spirit that made that dance work, father," E.J. said.

"Well whatever it is, let's see more of it," Stefano said clapping his hands together quickly. "This quartet did not come cheap."

E.J. glared at his father's presumption, but Sami pressed her hands against his chest and sought to soothe his anger.

"E.J., let's just humor him, all right?" Sami said sweetly.

"Sweetheart, I appreciate you being so great about all of this," E.J. said hanging his head. "But I hate him treating me like I'm some puppet who he can just snap his fingers at and I'll dance. And I hate even more to see you being treated that way."

"But E.J…" Sami said before E.J. interrupted her.

"It's already bad enough we're having to live at the mansion as a condition of Stefano's lawyers helping me deal with the Mythic mess," E.J. said rubbing his face. "I'm so sorry we have to spend our honeymoon night there. And that you have to spend even one night away from your children, darling."

Sami looked at the twins playing happily in John and Marlena's arms and she smiled.

"I think they'll be all right without their mother for just this one night, E.J.," Sami said.

"Even so, Samantha, I just wish things were different for us," E.J. said before Sami stopped him from saying more by pressing her index finger to his lips.

"Look, E.J., there's nothing we can do about it and we need to stop worrying about things we can't control," Sami said calmly.

"How philosophical of you, sweetheart," E.J. said with a laugh. "Tell me, when did you adopt this Zen attitude toward life?"

"When I finally realized E.J. that it's not worth it to stress out over these things," Sami said. "When I realized this is all really Stefano's chessboard and we're just living on it."

"Oh God, Samantha," E.J. said covering her mouth with the palm of his right hand. "Don't let my father hear you say that."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 9

As E.J. escorted Sami up the walk to the front door of the DiMera mansion, the reality of her new husband and her new home and her new family and her new life finally began to sink in. E.J. walked ahead of her to open the door, but Sami's feet froze about ten feet outside the mansion as she stared in wonder at the imposing edifice and how and why fate had brought her there.

"Samantha, are you going to stay out here all night?" E.J. asked, shaking Sami out of her daydream as he stood in the doorway.

Annoyed, Sami walked purposefully toward the door but just as she was about to step up and join E.J. in their new home the heel of her shoe caught on the edge of one of the stones along the path to the front door and her ankle gave way. E.J. leapt in time to catch her, but not before she had a quite painful sprain.

"Samantha, darling, are you all right?" E.J. asked with concern as Sami struggled in his arms and hobbled out of them to try to walk in the house on her own power.

"I'm fine, E.J.," Sami said bitterly. "Never been better. I'm doing great. Just like everything this night has gone just wonderfully."

But as stoic as she tried to be she couldn't help letting out a yelp of discomfort as she tried to put weight on her ankle.

"Samantha, you're not fine," E.J. said sternly. "Please let me help you. You don't have to prove your toughness to me. I know. I know you're not a weak woman."

Satisfied with the compliment, but unwilling to show it on her face, Sami allowed E.J. to scoop her up in his arms and carry her over the threshold into the mansion. But E.J. didn't stop in the foyer or the parlor and Sami clasped her arms tightly around E.J.'s neck as he carried her up the spiral staircase, not understanding why her heart suddenly beat faster as they made their way to the second floor and a large ornate wooden door.

With just one arm cradling Sami as if she were no more a burden than a bag of flour, E.J. fished in his pocket with his left hand to find a key and unlocked the heavy door, then pressed it open as he gently cradled Sami's head to prevent her from bumping into the doorway.

Sami gasped when E.J. flipped on the light switch to reveal a bedroom more beautiful and luxurious than she had ever imagined, let alone slept in.

"This is your new room, Samantha," E.J. said as he delicately placed Sami to rest upright against a mountain of pillows on the regal four poster bed and then grabbed one stray cushion for her swollen right ankle to rest on, his hand resting on her leg just a little longer than necessary though neither of them acknowledged it. "I hope you like it."

Sami smiled politely and then E.J. nodded and walked around the room.

"Over here is the water closet," E.J. said motioning to one door against the wall. "And here is your walk-in closet. Now, I hope you don't think me too forward but the closet looked so empty I went to the liberty of ordering you a wardrobe as part of my wedding gift to you. And just in case you hate the clothes, I'll tell you in advance I had Anna pick them out. I hope you don't mind."

Sami didn't mind, but she wasn't about to tell E.J. just yet. As she peered at the colorful designer frocks she could spy through the sliver of the opening in the closet, she couldn't wait until E.J. left the room so she could run her fingers over the delicate fabrics before trying each one on in her own private fashion show.

"And these," E.J. said picking up a wooden box from the vanity in the corner and carrying it over to Sami's bed, "have been in my family for years, sweetheart. Heirlooms."

"Oh, E.J. this is all so beautiful," Sami said after opening the box to discover an assortment of pearl strands, huge diamond earrings, gaudy ruby and sapphire rings and other rich jewelry. "And this is all yours?"

"No, my dear," E.J. said kneeling toward her and placing his thumb and index finger under her chin. "It's yours."

"Oh," Sami said closing the box quickly.

Sami said nothing for a moment as she took more time to absorb her surroundings. Priceless works of art hung on the walls, valuable antique furnishings populated the room and someone, and Sami thought she knew whom, had optimistically adorned the room with candles and fresh flowers while an expensive bottle of champagne chilled waiting for them on a nightstand.

"So what do you think?" E.J. asked breaking the silence.

"It's lovely, E.J. It's all so lovely, but what is all this?" Sami said, her eyebrow askew, gesturing toward the white wine and red roses.

"Oh, that…" E.J. said with a sheepish grin Sami always found incredibly sexy even if she didn't yet admit it to anyone, let alone herself. "Well, even though I know ours were not the most romantic of nuptials, Samantha, I just couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to give your honeymoon at least some symbolic romance. I hope you're not too upset with me."

Sami eyed him skeptically before speaking without thinking.

"Well it's certainly a lot more romantic than my last one," Sami said to both of their surprise, "Um… What I mean to say is that a little romantic symbolism never hurt anyone, I guess. As long as you understand that these are just symbols. This isn't real romance. Just like our marriage is not a real marriage."

Sami watched the words pierce through E.J.'s heart as his mouth morphed from a sly smile to an expression of stern resignation. It hurt her to see him so crestfallen. "But why should I care?" she wondered.

"Yes, I fully understand that," E.J. said deliberately, and suddenly Sami felt his words pierce through her heart. "But while these romantic gestures are just symbols they do have some practical purposes, too."

E.J. opened a small drawer of the large mahogany bureau to remove a cloth and walked over to the champagne bucket and set the bottle on a tray while he fished out some ice and wrapped it in the cloth before moving toward the bed.

Sami stared into E.J.'s mysterious brown eyes without him knowing it as he knelt at her side and moved to carefully wrap the cloth around her swollen ankle.

"It's cold," Sami said wiggling in protest.

"It's ice, darling," E.J. said. "What do you expect? Come on now, Samantha, we need this to keep the swelling down so your injury will heal. I don't think you'd much enjoy me carrying you up the staircase every day the rest of our lives. I don't think I'd much like it, honestly."

Sami furrowed her brow attempting to glare at him but she could only muster a bitter smile.

"If you really want me to feel better, E.J., quit messing with that ice and open up that bottle of champagne," Sami said.

E.J. laughed and did as she commanded and filled each of their champagne flutes, extending one to Sami and pulling up a desk chair to sit at her bedside. Sami felt E.J.'s intense yet warm stare penetrating her and nervously gulped down half the glass.

"You're not going to wait for the symbolic toast with our symbolic champagne, darling?" E.J. said chuckling.

"Oh, everything is a joke with you, isn't it, E.J.," Sami scoffed before gulping down the rest of her champagne.

E.J.'s long arm reached for the champagne bottle without him having to get out of his seat and then the same long arm refilled Sami's glass before he spoke.

"Not everything," E.J. said taking her free hand in his.

Sami put the refilled champagne flute to her lips but didn't take a sip as she noticed a desperate vulnerability in E.J.'s tone that she didn't recognize and listened intently.

"This night is not a joke to me. And I need you to know that, Samantha. I know I don't deserve you as my wife and that I don't deserve to be spending this night or any night with you. I don't deserve having the chance to share this glass of champagne with you or even deserve to hold your hand," E.J. said letting go of it and standing up to pace the room. "But you have to know that every day the rest of our lives I'm going to be trying to make myself worthy of your forgiveness and I will do everything in my power to give you as much happiness as I can... considering… the circumstances."

E.J. stood with his back toward Sami and took a large gulp of his champagne.

"Oh, now who's drinking without toasting?" Sami called to him.

Sami was pleased to see that when he turned around to face her that the severe expression on his face had faded into a light grin and a twinkle in his eye returned as he poured himself more booze.

"Where are my manners?" E.J. said with a smile. "Thank goodness I have you to keep me in line."

E.J. sat back in the chair and extended his champagne flute upright in Sami's direction.

"To Samantha, and that she might make me a better man…" E.J. said seriously as he moved his glass toward Sami's. But Sami pulled the glass away before any clinking noise could be heard.

"And to E.J., and that he doesn't make me a worse woman," Sami said with a wry grin and they both laughed as their glasses clinked together even though they weren't entirely sure what was so funny about that.

Sami suspected the champagne must've been getting to her, but as she took more and more sips all her troubles and worries seemed to just float and fizzle away like the tiny bubbles in the glass in front of her.

The two of them chatted for hours about everything and nothing laughing a great deal like the friends they once were until the bottle was finally empty of even one drop. Sami almost went to ask E.J. to have the servants bring them more, but then she thought better of it and decided it was time to go to bed.

"Well, it is getting pretty late, darling," E.J. said. "Do you want me to get you a glass of water before bed? I wouldn't want you to wake up with a hangover to go with your sore ankle."

"No, I'm fine, really, I don't feel much more than a buzz," Sami said lying, even though she wasn't sure why.

"Well, you're a grown woman, and even if I think it might be for the best I won't make you drink water if you don't think it's necessary," E.J. said getting up from his chair and walking toward the door. "Good night."

As E.J. headed out the door Sami was filled with longing and panic as she was reminded once again by the ominous phoenix statue on the top of bureau that only caught her eye just then that she was now behind enemy lines.

"Wait!" Sami squealed just as E.J. turned off the light switch.

He turned the light back on.

"Did you change your mind about the water?" E.J. asked.

"No, it's not that," Sami said embarrassed as E.J. walked over to her and set the jewelry box aside so he could join her in bed. "It's just…"

"Just what, darling?" E.J. asked. "You have made it clear that this was a marriage of convenience entered into for no other reason but to end the feud so I thought I would respect your feelings on this and let you have this room while I sleep in the guest bedroom down the hall."

"But… but… but this place is so creepy!" Sami insisted.

"It's very… unique… but I think you'll get used to it," E.J. said.

"Are you really going to leave me here all alone? In this haunted house?" Sami asked furiously as her eyes began to fill with liquid anger or sadness or frustration – she wasn't sure which. "So someone like Stefano or… or Andre can attack me in the middle of the night and I'll be all alone with no one to hear me scream and…"

Before Sami knew what was happening E.J. had enveloped her in a warm embrace and his chin was on top of her head. Sami felt instantly soothed as E.J. kissed the crown of her head and reassured her that everything would be all right and he would never let anything bad happen to her.

"I haven't let you down yet, have I?" E.J. asked before seeing Sami's blank stare and letting her go. "Hmmm, well, don't answer that."

E.J. stood up and began grabbing pillows off the bed and dropping them on the floor.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sami asked impatiently.

"Well if I'm going to stay here tonight you don't expect me to sleep on this hard floor without even a pillow underneath my head, do you?" E.J. scoffed.

"Oh, E.J.," Sami said with exasperation. "You're being silly. We're a long ways past chivalry, don't you think? You can share this bed with me as long as you don't hog the covers. And I think it goes without saying that you keep your hands to yourself."

"It does," E.J. said with an impish grin. "But that cuts both ways, darling. I know how you get when you first wake up."

Sami snickered, but then she thought back to the day she was supposed to marry Austin and had spent the night in E.J.'s apartment. Unaware that it was E.J. tenderly pushing the hair from her eyes to rouse her from deep sleep, she had greeted him with a warm, soft kiss that was more sweet and passionate than any she had had with her fiancé, any of her fiancés.

"You're conceited, you know that, E.J.?" Sami said attempting to slug him with a pillow to the face before E.J.'s hand deflected the blow.

"Yes, I know," E.J. said laughing.

Sami sighed with frustration but a smile formed on her face as she turned away from him to sit on the edge of the bed with her back toward him.

As Sami sat there, out of the corner of her eye she peered at the full-length mirror against the wall and unknowingly bit her lip as she watched E.J. behind her set his jacket on a chair, loosen his tie and begin unbuttoning his shirt. She felt guilty watching him but she couldn't look away before finding out if underneath it was the same strong, lean torso, broad shoulders and rock hard abs she had last seen dripping with water the night that their sabotaged date had gone so horribly wrong.

She let out an audible gasp as the removal of his shirt revealed that somehow his body had improved since the last time she saw it. But thinking E.J. had finally noticed her looking, she quickly glanced away from the mirror to stare at a painting on the wall and attempted to stand up so she could walk over to the dresser to get her nightgown.

"E.J., could you go in the bathroom for a minute while I put on my nightgown?" Sami asked and her husband obliged.

Hobbling with pain silently at first, she ambled toward the dresser then grasped the nightgown in her hand and walked back toward the bed. As she began fiddling with the button behind her neck to no avail she finally let out an anguished groan when her ankle could stand no more.

"E.J. can you help me?" Sami asked as she sat back down on the bed defeated.

"With what?" E.J. asked, peering out of the bathroom.

"I can't get my dress off," Sami said sheepishly. "I… I need your help. But don't you get any ideas!"

"Ideas, my dear?" E.J. said grinning. "Oh, I'm sure I don't have any of those. Now what seems to be the problem."

E.J. stood behind Sami with one arm braced around her helping her balance on her one good ankle while his other hand fiddled with the clasp behind her neck with just as much trouble as Sami had.

"Here, let me do it," Sami said pushing his hand out of the way while both of hers worked quickly to unfasten the clasp once they were unburdened with trying to help her balance. "Now avert your eyes, please. I don't need you staring at me, especially now so soon after the twins."

Before Sami could slide the dress off her shoulders E.J. stopped her.

"For all your insecurities, you're quite vain, aren't you?" E.J. said flatly, earning him a surprised glance from Sami looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Pffft. Well so what if I am? Like you're one to talk the way you strut around here shirtless puffing your chest out and admiring yourself and the way you…" Sami scoffed.

"O.K. O.K. I get the picture and I admit I can be a little vain, I suppose," E.J. admitted begrudgingly.

"A little," Sami said as she rolled her eyes.

"O.K. A lot," E.J. said laughing, before his voice and demeanor changed as he held her gaze through the mirror that they both stood in front of and stared at. "But I just want to let you know that regardless of whatever baby weight you may think you've gained and however you're feeling and no matter how little my opinion means to you, I don't think I've ever seen you look more beautiful than you do this night."

Sami could tell how deeply and truly E.J. meant those words by the devoted expression on his face and it flustered her.

"Oh, E.J. are you gonna take my clothes off or not?" Sami said impatiently.

"Well, when you put it that way…" E.J. said chuckling.

With one zipping motion down her back, the dress quickly fell to the floor. E.J. continued to hold one arm around Sami's torso to steady her even as she stood there in just a bra and he blindly reached with his other arm for the nightgown on the bed intentionally forgetting to avert his eyes as Sami had instructed before.

"E.J., I see you peeking," Sami scolded.

"It was an accident," E.J. apologized insincerely. "I was looking for the nightgown. Oh, here it is. Now lift your arms up."

Sami did as E.J. instructed and soon she was covered in slick silk as E.J. slid her nightgown over her head, pulled it down and smoothed it out over her body.

Sami hopped on her one good leg to turn around to face E.J. with her hands resting on his shoulders for support.

"Thank you," Sami said before giving him an awkward peck on the cheek and sliding back into bed.

"You're welcome," E.J. said walking over to the doorway and turning out the light once more.

Sami eyed one of the paintings on the wall and imagined the man in the painting turning his head to scowl at her.

"Wait!" Sami screamed.

"What this time, Samantha?" E.J. sighed.

"It's too dark in here with the lights off," Sami whined as E.J. flipped on the light switch.

"I'm sorry, darling, we have a lot of things in this mansion but I don't think we have a night light," E.J. said sarcastically.

"No, but you could light some of these candles you set out here, right?" Sami said.

"Whatever makes you happy, darling, I'll do my best to see that you get it," E.J. said walking over to the table holding the candles and lighting them with one match.

The room was now dark but in the glow of the flames Sami could see just enough as E.J. removed his pants to have her once again biting her lip. Oblivious, or at least pretending to be, Sami thought, E.J. climbed into bed beside her without saying a word.

The two of them laid there for several moments in silence until finally Sami heard E.J. let out a sigh.

"Samantha, there's something I need to tell you," E.J. blurted. "I need you to know that even if my reasons for coming to Salem weren't entirely honorable, nor has my behavior been particularly honorable since I've been here, I truly do love you with all my heart and soul. Of course, most people would tell you I don't have a heart or a soul so that's not very much but sweetheart I…"

"E.J.," Sami said interrupting. "I know. You don't have to do this."

"But I do, Samantha," E.J. said. "I do have to say it. I have to tell you that I think I've been in love with you from the first moment I saw you even if I didn't entirely know what love was then. Even, when I was horrible to you, even when I…"

"E.J., don't," Sami said.

"Well I just need you to know that I really did think you wanted me then," E.J. said. "I know I was a bastard, all right. I know I am a bastard, but the things that you told me when you were setting me up with the police, I really did believe them when that night happened. Even after I knew I had been set up, my ego wouldn't allow me to comprehend that someone wouldn't want me, especially the person I wanted most of all."

E.J. paused but Sami said nothing.

"Samantha, when we were together and those things you whispered to me while we were… well, I didn't understand then but I think I do now that your body simply betrayed you in that moment and those feelings had nothing to do with me," E.J. said bitterly. "They were things you felt in spite of me. And I don't think that truly sunk in for me until you married Lucas. Oh, Samantha, I'm so sorry this all happened this way and just as sorry I didn't understand until now."

"Well, you seem to understand now, E.J.," Sami said as a tear dripped from her cheek. "That's something."

"Not nearly enough," E.J. said turning to face Sami, his eyes filled with love and regret as he wiped away her tear with his index finger and began caressing her cheek. "That's why I'm going to spend every day for the rest of our lives showing you how precious and special and amazing you are. That's why I'm never again going to let my pride or my family's prejudices come between you and your happiness. That's what's most important to me now. Whatever it is that makes you happy, I'll move heaven and earth to see that you get that…"

Sami wasn't sure if it was the lingering effects of the champagne or exhaustion or both but as E.J. spoke she began to eye him dreamily and her lips parted wishing he would kiss her.

"Starting tomorrow," E.J. said giving her a light peck on the cheek and, turning away from Sami to roll over on his side and go to sleep.

More frustrated with E.J. than she had ever been, Sami began tossing and turning wondering how she would fall asleep.

Chapter 10

Still, tossing and turning wildly, Sami groaned and sighed at increasingly louder volume while E.J. rested next to her completely still until finally she couldn't take it any more.

Sami lay on her side with her stomach facing E.J. and just stared at his peaceful face for several moments. She wondered what he was dreaming about and how he could sleep so soundly even as she had so tempestuously fought with the covers just a foot away from him trying to get some rest of her own.

Satisfied that his bare chest raising and lowering ever so subtly signified he was deep in sleep, Sami cautiously and slowly reached out to touch him and began caressing his cheek with the palm of her hand.

"E.J., do you really love me?" Sami whispered in his ear, but more to herself as she was sure she had been so quiet that in his dead sleep he wouldn't hear it.

Yet she had been wrong.

"What, Samantha?" E.J. asked, his eyes fluttering before he opened them to see Sami's face over his and a smile grew wide into his cheeks. "Did you ask me if I love you?"

Sami quickly removed her hand from his cheek and attempted to pull it back but E.J. grabbed her wrist and stopped her from rolling over.

"Yes, Samantha, I really, truly, desperately, deeply love you," E.J. said seriously.

"But why, E.J.? Why?" Sami asked just as seriously as she furrowed her brow. "Why me?"

E.J. laughed.

"Samantha, I wish I could tell you it's simply because I find you so very beautiful… or because I find you exciting and fun and unpredictable… or because I think you're the most damn impossible woman on earth and you drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met. But it's probably all of those things," E.J. sighed. "And maybe it's because I can't have you."

Sami measured those words carefully before she spoke.

"So if you could have me, you wouldn't love me any more?" Sami said sadly.

"Oh, sweetheart, if I could have you… Samantha, I could never stop loving you," E.J. said pulling Sami's head toward his chest to rest over his heart.

"Then what would you say if I said you could have me?" Sami asked wincing with excited trepidation.

E.J. pulled Sami's face back up to look at him as he cupped her cheeks with both of his hands and stared deeply into her eyes.

"Samantha, there are no words," E.J. said before planting a passionate kiss on Sami's lips that made her toes girl and her arms now resting on his shoulders melt completely into his torso.

Still, refusing to part with her lips, E.J. carefully turned over to rest on top of Sami while the two of them kissed for what seemed like hours without ever coming up for air. Finally, their lips broke and E.J. began nuzzling Sami's neck while she moaned and whispered his name, but E.J. just smiled, content to make her suffer just a bit longer to repay her for the way she had tortured him these months.

Until finally, neither could bear the painful longing any longer, and the two of them removed the remaining scraps of clothing separating them and made love more tender and spiritual than anything either had ever experienced.

Sami was so completely satisfied in the afterglow of the moment she failed to hear the bedroom door open and realize that someone had joined them until she turned her head to find a man standing at her bedside.

"Sami, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas asked furiously.

"Lucas!" Sami said grabbing a sheet to cover up while she panicked as E.J. had somehow vanished.

"Yeah, Sami, it's me," Lucas said. "Not that I expect you to remember me when you just gave birth to my twins and were my wife until a few days ago."

"I'm sorry, Lucas," Sami said crying. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen this way. I…"

"You couldn't even wait a week after finding out I was impotent before jumping into bed with E.J.?" Lucas accused bitterly. "Couldn't wait to find out if there were any treatments to help me? No, you didn't care. Because you were relieved when you found out about my problem."

"No, no, that's not true, Lucas," Sami said crying and shaking her head.

"You were relieved when you found out you could end the feud by marrying E.J., weren't you?" Lucas continued. "Because he's the one you want. Admit it, Sami. You were glad you got to leave me to be with him under the guise that you're being some hero to your family, taking one for the Brady team, right?"

"No," Sami said crying harder. "That's not true."

"It is true," Lucas said angrily. "You wanted E.J. just like you've always wanted him whether you have the courage to admit that or not. You may have slept with E.J. to save my life, but that didn't stop you from wanting him either. Stop denying it, Sami."

Sami shook her head but Lucas persisted.

"Say it," Lucas screamed. "Say it. Say you want him. Say it now!"

"Fine, I'll say it," Sami said shutting her eyes and struggling with her thoughts. "I want him. I want him so much. I want E.J."

To Sami's surprise, when she sat up in bed and opened her eyes, Lucas was gone. It had all been a dream she thought as she suddenly felt beads of sweat ringed around the back of her neck. At least she thought it had been a dream, but when she looked to her sides and saw E.J. was no longer in bed, she realized she had no idea what had happened the night before.

Chapter 11

Sami breathed a deep sigh of relief as she looked down and noticed she was still wearing her nightgown.

"I had only been with E.J. in my dream," Sami sighed as her heart rate returned to normal. "But… I did dream of him."

Sami tried to put her attraction to E.J. aside and chalk it up to simply post-pregnancy hormones and loneliness. She tried to convince herself the dream meant nothing.

Unable to convince herself of that, she resolved then to try to forget the dream and soon she got her wish as another fear crept into her thoughts.

"Where is E.J.?" Sami wondered as she looked around the room and found herself terrifyingly alone.

"E.J.?" Sami said getting out of bed to look in the bathroom for her missing husband.

She hobbled a bit as her ankle throbbed from the strain she had put on it the night before and she winced as she felt a similar throbbing behind her eyes when she stood up quickly.

Sami hadn't had much champagne the night before, but it was enough after not drinking for nearly a year to give her head a dull ache.

Suddenly, she felt the room spinning and the painting of the man on the wall that had been terrifying the night before was just as much a source of fright in the morning.

"E.J. This isn't funny!" Sami screamed, rifling through the closet but finding nothing and walking toward the bedroom door to open it and let out a scream. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Jayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

"Yes, Samantha?" E.J. said nonchalantly as a smile enveloped his face following Sami's outburst.

Sami felt embarrassed by her panic but was too proud to give E.J. the satisfaction of her admitting it.

"I was just wondering where you went was all," Sami said, looking down to spy the tray in his arms. "What's this?"

"Breakfast," E.J. said, toting it over to the nightstand. "The most important meal of the day, darling. I brought you some juice just in case you're a little… dehydrated… from last night's festivities."

"How thoughtful," Sami scowled while E.J. grinned with satisfaction that he had correctly presumed her hangover.

"I knew you'd think so," E.J. said with a sly smile. "But I am sorry to report that I will not be able to join you in this breakfast as I have to go."

"You have to go? But why?" Sami asked, before becoming self-conscious about her display of concern. "I mean, what do you have planned for today?"

"Well, my dear, I plan to exert a good amount of effort to try and rebuild my company's good name," E.J. said with a sigh. "Even though my father has helped me escape any unpleasant legal consequences associated with my time at Mythic, I have lost a good deal of clients because of this mess thanks to your ex-husband, and now with Kate back working for her son at Titan I…"

"I'm sorry, E.J.," Sami said suddenly. "I wish there was something I could to help."

E.J. smiled.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," E.J. said. "It's certainly not your fault I'm in this mess. But I don't want to see you worried. There's something I forgot to show you last night. How's your ankle? Do you think you can walk with me out into the hallway?"

Sami smiled and stuck out her right arm to link with E.J.'s left arm so they could slowly amble into the hallway and in front of a door down the hall from Sami's room.

"Now, I hope you don't find this too extravagant but I…" E.J. said, before his words faded from Sami's consciousness as she absorbed the wonderful nursery beyond that newly opened door in silent awe of its beauty.

"Oh, E.J., it's… it's… lovely," Sami said as she spied the luxurious twin cribs, loads of books on the shelves and mounds of toys all around them. "This is for the twins?"

"Yes, darling," E.J. said beaming. "For the twins. And their mother."

Sami smiled politely then turned away for fear she would get lost in the amber eyes of E.J. staring at her so intently.

"Thank you, for all of this," Sami said matter of factly. "Sofia and Eric John thank you."

"I'm sure they do," E.J. said noticing his wife's icy distance. "Well, when are they going to get to take advantage of their new surroundings?"

"Soon," Sami said. "My mom is bringing the twins over later this afternoon so they can get settled then. Will you be long at the office, E.J.?"

Sensing sweet sincerity flowing from Sami's lips for once, E.J. soaked in her question with considerable consideration.

"I'll try not to be long, Samantha," E.J. said with a smile.

Sami nodded and allowed herself to be escorted back to her bedroom where she could finish the breakfast E.J. had brought for her alone.

Yet even after E.J. left to head into his job at Mythic for the day, something about that room made her feel very much like she would never be alone.

Chapter 12

Sami's visit with her mother after she dropped off the twins was short as Marlena seemed uncomfortable spending time with her daughter in Stefano's home.

Sensing her discomfort, Sami lied to her mother that she had a headache and thought they should get together for lunch another time. Even if Marlena knew it was a lie, she didn't acknowledge it or simply didn't care and quickly left, kissing the foreheads of Eric John and Sofia before each was placed in their cribs in the nursery and then hugged Sami goodbye.

After getting a quick bite to eat, Sami spent the rest of the afternoon in the nursery rocking chair reading a romance novel she had found on the bookshelf of her bedroom and waiting on the babies with the help of several very attendant DiMera servants who handled most of the heavy lifting, or should I say stinky lifting, which Sami enjoyed immensely.

Her hours spent tossing and turning the night before eventually caught up with her however, as she fell asleep in the chair and was awoken by E.J. pushing her bangs out of her eyes and whispering her name.

"E.J." Sami said groggily then turning to look out the window and noticing it was dark. "What time is it?"

"It's about 8:30, Samantha," E.J. said smiling. "Have you had something to eat?"

"Well not since lunch," Sami said rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How was your day at the office?"

"In a word: dreadful," E.J. sighed. "I just got home. But I don't want to think about that, sweetheart. I just want to eat a great big dinner, have a large glass of wine, take a shower and head straight to bed."

Even though Sami had just woken up, she could plainly tell how stressed and upsetting E.J.'s work day had been for him. Yet she noticed the expression change as E.J. paused to turn his attention to the cribs and with one arm picked up tiny Sofia and in the other long limb cradled tiny Eric John.

"But first I have to spend a few minutes with these two," E.J. said beaming as he looked down at the children. "Were you good for your mother today? Were you? You better have been good for her."

"They were excellent," Sami said walking up behind E.J. to place her right hand on his shoulder and look around his side at the twins.

"Samantha, I don't know why I'm still so amazed at how beautiful they are when I know they have you for a mother, but I can't help being impressed by them – they're just simply radiant," E.J. said with a smile as he put them back down in their cribs.

"Thank you, E.J." Sami said with a fairly radiant smile of her own at the compliment of her children. "We all thank you."

At dinner, the two of them sat at opposite ends of a long table saying nothing as E.J. devoured his dinner hungrily while Sami more or less played with hers. E.J. had offered Sami wine with dinner, but she was afraid to accept it. She had come close to making a mistake the night before and given herself those crazy dreams, but she was certain it was all the fault of that awful champagne she had drank. E.J. didn't seem to mind Sami refusing the wine though, as he drank enough for the both of them gulping down several glasses with his meal. Finally, E.J. had scarfed down the final morsel from his plate and told her he was going to bed.

"Even though I took that nap earlier, I think I'm ready to go to bed, too," Sami said standing up to join E.J. up the stairs.

Though the pain from her ankle injury from the night before had completely subsided, Sami didn't decline when a somewhat tipsy E.J. offered to carry her up the stairs to bed again.

Sami's heart raced as E.J. went to open the door and she began to wonder if she might muster the courage to kiss him when they went to sleep later that night.

But she stopped wondering when the door opened and she saw the addition to her bedroom.

"What's this?" Sami asked as she discovered more furniture in the room.

"It's my new bed, Samantha," E.J. said jumping into it and laying back luxuriously with his hands tucked behind his head and a smile covering his face. "You like it?"

Sami stared.

"Sure it's nice, but two beds?" Sami asked as she looked around the room. "I feel like I'm trapped in some 1950s sitcom."

"Look, Samantha I thought you'd be relieved I did this," E.J. said. "I had the servants bring in this bed from storage and set it up so if you were still worried about Andre and Stefano I could stay in here with you and neither of us would have to share a bed together. I take it you're not relieved?"

"Oh, I am," Sami lied as she sat on the edge of the bed looking at her husband. "I just wasn't expecting… I didn't realize you had trouble sleeping last night."

"Are you kidding?" E.J. asked with a laugh. "The way you were tossing and turning like a buoy in a hurricane? Oh, how I wanted to just wrap my arms around and hold you down so you'd stop…"

Sami gave E.J. a half-hearted glare but bit her lip at the thought as he continued.

"And then there was the way you were hogging the covers the whole night," E.J. said.

"I did not!" Sami protested grabbing a pillow and attempting to hit him with it yet like always finding him too quick to deflect it before she could hit him.

"How would you know?" E.J. asked, smirking. "You were asleep. Just like I bet you don't know you talk in your sleep. Actually, I'd say it's more of a whisper but…"

"What are you talking about?" Sami asked. "I do not talk in my sleep."

"You did last night," E.J. said. "That's for sure."

"Oh yeah?" Sami scoffed. "Just what did I say?"

"Well, I couldn't make it all out, because like I said you were whispering…" E.J. smirked.

"Spit it out," Sami said folding her arms and smiling an impatient grin.

"Just asking me to tell you I love you, begging me to hold you and kiss you. Admitting in your dreams what you refuse to own up to in the waking world, which is that you want me as much as I do you," E.J. said smiling. "You know, the usual."

Sami held her breath remembering the dream she had the night before and her throat tightened as she looked away from E.J.

"Samantha, Samantha, are you there?" E.J. asked. "Look, I'm sorry if my teasing you upset you. It was only a joke."

Sami suddenly was jolted back to reality.

"I'm well aware of what a joke it was, E.J.," Sami said turning her face back toward E.J. indignantly. "It's a total joke to think I would ever want you or that I would ever love you or beg you to hold me and kiss me. Even in your dreams, I doubt that happens."

"You'd be surprised," E.J. mumbled and got out of the bed to try to ignore the way Sami's words had stung him as he walked across the room.

Sami sighed knowing her words had caused his pain and she couldn't help inflicting it, yet as she saw her words' effect on him she couldn't help feeling his pain, too.

"Like I said before, sweetheart, I'm exhausted so I think I'm going to hop in the shower to relax before bed so if you'll excuse me," E.J. said shutting the bathroom door behind him.

As Sami listened to the water run behind the door, she felt a surge of tears building behind her eyes. Yet rubbing them and breathing deeply she managed to push them back until she calmly sat waiting for the moment the water would stop.

When it did, Sami jumped out of her seat on the bed to knock on the bathroom door and call to E.J.

"E.J., there's something I need to…" Sami said as the bathroom door opened and E.J. stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. "…tell you."

Sami couldn't help looking down for a split second but remembering herself she brought her gaze back upward to meet his eyes with hers.

"Yes?" E.J. asked with an eyebrow askew.

"I just wanted to tell you thank you for staying with me last night when I was scared and being willing to get the extra bed so you can stay with me every night," Sami said nervously. "It was sweet of you to do that and I really appreciate what you are doing to consider my feelings."

E.J. smiled and kissed Sami's forehead.

"It's nothing," E.J. said walking out of the bathroom door, but stopping when he noticed part of the cloth of his towel was caught in door hinge.

Sami's eyes grew wide at the development, but E.J.'s cat-like reflexes caught the towel just before the two of them had a moment reminiscent of their very revealing first encounter.

"That could have been embarrassing," E.J. said with a laugh.

"Ha!" Sami said. "You embarrassed? I'll believe it when I see it, E.J."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 13

Sami tried to sidestep E.J. to the right walking into the bathroom but at the same time he moved to the left.

They laughed and did the same dance in the other direction before E.J. finally paused and yielded so that Sami could go in the bathroom. She had intended only to allow E.J. some privacy while dressing and put on her own nightgown, but as she saw the large tub with its candles around it and sweet-smelling bubble bath oil she couldn't resist taking a dip to relax and collect her thoughts before she went to bed. Of course, even as she relaxed she could think of nothing but E.J.

Meanwhile, E.J. put on a pair of shorts and climbed into his new bed staring at the empty one where Sami would be sleeping later and wondering just what he had got himself into.

E.J. had told her that the extra bed was for her sake, but he knew that was a lie. It had taken every ounce of willpower he could muster to avoid taking Sami in his arms and kissing her the night before when he shared a bed with her and he hoped keeping separate beds would allow him to remain her protector but better temper his desire for her. Unfortunately, the knowledge that just behind the door she laid unclothed and soaking in the tub did not help matters much.

E.J. tried to put Sami out of his head and shut his eyes tight as he tossed and turned and waited for the wine he had taken with dinner to do its work and take him from his weary waking state to the blissful world of dreams.

Yet when he opened his eyes to the sound of the bathroom door squeaking and Sami stepping forward in a furry white bathrobe he felt suddenly wide awake again.

E.J. said nothing as he squinted and pretended to be asleep while he watched as, to his surprise, Sami didn't climb into her bed but kept walking toward his.

"E.J., care if I join you?" Sami asked as E.J. sat up in bed.

When she slipped off her bathrobe, E.J.'s jaw dropped to the floor. Sami just laughed and said, "I'll take that as a 'no'."

"Samantha, I…" E.J. started to say before Sami climbed on top of him and pressed her right index finger over his lips.

"Shhhhh," Sami said, before removing her finger from his lips and replacing it with her mouth.

Unable to contain his passion having Sami finally in his arms, E.J. quickly moved from Sami's mouth to begin kissing her neck and caressing her face and doing all other sorts of things to her he had always wanted.

E.J. beamed with pride with every contented moan and whisper of his name that came from Sami's lips and when those whispers grew to shouts he thought he had never been happier.

"Are you happy, Samantha?" E.J. asked as Sami lay peacefully beside him saying nothing but with a grin a mile wide across her face.

"What do you think?" Sami asked as E.J. began kissing her shoulder sweetly. "E.J., I've never been happier than I am right now."

"Good, sweetheart," E.J. said. "Neither have I. And I'm going to do everything I can to see that we stay this way forever."

But forever ended sooner than E.J. would have hoped.

As E.J. awoke breathing heavy, and his sheets a mess on the floor, he opened his eyes to realize he was in bed alone while to his right a few feet away Sami was nestled in her own bed quietly dreaming. E.J. sighed at the sight. He wanted so badly to wake her so that he could tell her he loved her so and then prove it with a kiss, but instead he got out of bed to take his second shower of the night – this one a bit cooler.

Chapter 14

As Sami spent more and more time in the DiMera mansion as the weeks went on, she found herself more and more enchanted by the family's opulent lifestyle. She also found herself increasingly disinterested in the affairs of the Bradys, which was well enough she thought because even after she had made the sacrifice of marrying E.J. to end the feud, all she could see in the eyes of her family members was pity rather than the admiration and respect she so craved for securing their safety. It had been weeks since she had visited the Brady Pub and she didn't know if she could ever come back there after the day E.J. attempted to surprise her following a trip to Salem Place for a shopping spree with a stop in for the clam chowder she had been craving. It was there that Sami laughed a little too loudly at a joke E.J. told and thus encountered the ire of Caroline, Max and Chelsea, who were sitting at the bar and shot daggers at her with their eyes that destroyed her so completely she told E.J. she was feeling sick and needed to leave immediately.

E.J. spent long hours at Mythic trying to restore his company leaving Sami to fend for herself most days, even sometimes on the weekends. Though caring for the twins consumed a sizable portion of her days, their many naps and her many servants allowed her a great deal more leisure time than she had ever imagined a new mother of two might have. Though momentary flashes of guilt crept in, she thought of her son, Will, very little as the precocious teenager fed up with his family's latest crisis and not wanting to deal with his dysfunctional parents had told them he had grown quite fond of Europe while staying with his Aunt Carrie and Uncle Austin and elected to attend boarding school in Britain when E.J. offered to pay for it. Lucas quickly agreed to that custody arrangement without much argument knowing that E.J.'s lawyers would make it happen whether he fought it or not and happy that even if he couldn't see his son, Sami wouldn't be able to either.

Even though Stefano frightened Sami, the more time she spent exploring his home the more curiously fascinated she became with who he was and why he was that way. At first they seldom crossed paths, and when they did Sami would leave the room without saying much at all. But then one afternoon the old man caught her spying on him as he conducted the blaring opera music blasting from his stereo and invited his daughter-in-law to join him for some brandy.

At first Sami tried to refuse, but one disapproving glare from Stefano had her accepting his offering. The first sip was rich and strong, but bitter, causing Sami's throat to burn and her cheeks to flush quickly as she not had any alcohol since the champagne on her honeymoon night.

Sami had been afraid that were she to drink even one glass of wine at dinner as the rest of the DiMeras did when they would dine together, she wouldn't be able to control herself from doing something with her husband she would regret later those evenings. But as she absorbed the emotion and drama of the music that afternoon and listened to Stefano explain the story behind it, she felt swept up by the passion and didn't give much thought to the consequences of her drinking as her cheeks grew pinker while her head began to swim.

When the fat lady had sung, Sami looked up at the grandfather clock against the wall and realized she had been enjoying the opera and drinking for hours. She also glanced in the mirror and frowned at her rosy cheeks with the thought that E.J. would be home soon.

"Oh, Stefano, I didn't realize it was this late," Sami said. "Thanks for the music lesson. I'll see you at dinner."

"The pleasure is all mine," Stefano called to Sami as she hurried out of the room toward the staircase and he chuckled to himself.

Chapter 15

Sami was so deep in her own thoughts humming a tune from the opera she listened to earlier that she didn't hear the bedroom door open even as she placed the ruby earrings in her ears to match her deep red lipstick and deep red evening gown.

"Samantha, Father says that he has something important to tell us at dinner…" E.J. said before his voice trailed off at the thrilling sight of his wife viewed from the angle of the mirror in the corner of the room.

"Yes, he told me that earlier when we were listening to music," Sami said absent-mindedly applying perfume with her back still turned toward her husband and unaware of her affect on him.

"You look… good," E.J. said as he walked toward her and couldn't resist placing his hands on her shoulders as he got a closer look at his wife in the vanity mirror as he stood behind her. Sami looked up at him and noticed his wide grin but said nothing.

"Mmmmm. You smell good, too," E.J. said caressing her shoulders and arms with his hands and putting his cheek up against the side of her head.

"Thank you, E.J.," Sami said walking away from him uncomfortable with her reaction to him and afraid of what she would do if she lingered in his touch any longer. "But I don't think I smell as good as whatever it is the servants are cooking. Is dinner almost ready?"

"Any minute," E.J. said with a sigh at once again finding his advances rebuffed by Sami. "Tony and Anna will be joining us and they are already waiting in the dining room. Shall we head downstairs?"

"Let's," Sami nodded, noticing his disappointment but not sure what to say to it as they quietly walked down the stairs and took their seats at the dining room table.

"Well, my sons, I have called you and your beautiful blonde wives here today to inform you of something I have decided about what I want for the future of this family after my death," Stefano said as he came into the dining room and took his place at his seat.

"Father, don't talk like that," E.J. said touching Stefano's arm, before Stefano brushed his son's hand away.

"No, my son, I need to talk about this," Stefano said angrily. "Between my recent illnesses and now Andre's death I must finally admit my own mortality and lay out plans for my legacy just as my father did for me."

E.J. listened intently and bowed his head in acknowledgment of his father's disappointment in him for killing Andre while Tony rolled his eyes at Stefano's legacy talk.

Anna didn't even bother feigning interest in the discussion as she alternately played with her hair and fidgeted with the gigantic block of ice attached to her left ring finger as a token of her recent re-marriage to Tony. She also twice interrupted the talk to ask E.J. to pass her a new bottle of wine, the second time receiving a swift kick from Tony under the table, which earned him in turn a glare from his wife.

Meanwhile, Sami felt uneasy listening to the conversation to which she had nothing to contribute and began matching Anna glass for glass of Pinot Noir not realizing her freshening up before dinner had not erased all the intoxicating effects from her earlier brandy drinking.

At least she didn't realize it until she got a bout of hiccups halfway through her fourth glass of wine.

"Excuse you!" Anna cackled.

"I'm sorry," Sami said meekly.

But Sami recoiled in horror as Stefano thunderously roared, "Well you should be sorrrrry. I don't know what kind of table manners you were taught in the Brrrady household, but as a DiMerrrra you will learn to how to handle your drink or you will not drink at all!"

Sami sheepishly pushed her wine glass away toward the center of the table while Stefano continued his rant about the family and she realized Stefano had scared the hiccups right out of her.

E.J. bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the sight of Sami's terror, knowing his father would never refuse someone a drink and understanding the difference between the biteless bark of his father's voice when he was simply annoyed at being interrupted compared to the quiet rage he would convey when ready to take action against his enemies. But E.J. put on a smiling face of support as he reached his hand across the table to place it in Sami's and to his pleasant surprise she accepted the gesture and stared back at him with appreciation.

"So as you know I have been blessed in my life with many children," Stefano said. "Unfortunately, you are the only two children who are still alive and willing to see me. And since Benjy has left without giving me any knowledge of his whereabouts and Lexie unfortunately has disowned me and forbids me from seeing little Theo, that means I have no grandchildren. And thus I have no one to whom I can pass on this home and my fortune and my power when I am gone."

Anna and Tony shared a sad glance as they thought about their miscarried child, while at those words Sami let go of E.J.'s hand and averted her eyes from his penetrating stare.

"But what about Sofia and Eric John?" Sami asked, turning to Stefano. "Don't they deserve anything for having to be raised as DiMeras?"

"Having to be raised as DiMeras?!" Stefano stood up and quietly raged in a manner that prompted E.J. to get out of his seat to stand between his father and wife. "They should thank their lucky stars they are not being cursed to be raised with that idiot Lucas Rrrrroberts for a father like their hopeless older brother."

"How dare you say that about my son, Will?" Sami said standing up just as angry as Stefano had been. "He is not hopeless! He is brilliant!"

"Well, he will be now thanks to the fabulous educational opportunities he's going to get purchased with DiMera money," Stefano said with a chuckle. "At least now he can make something of himself and won't have to wait for his Grandma Kate to start a company for him to work at or enlist with the Keystone Kops like all those Brady boys do."

"How dare you," Sami said lunging at Stefano and seething with rage even as E.J. held her back and wrapped his long arms completely around her to restrain her.

Stefano taunted Sami with his laughter while E.J. tried to tell her maybe it would be best if they had the rest of their dinner upstairs.

"Fine, I'll go upstairs, but I'm done with dinner," Sami screamed as she pushed E.J. away and stormed past Stefano toward the staircase before storming right back to the table. "Although I'm not done drinking."

E.J. shook his head as he watched Sami grab the bottle of Pinot Noir from the table and he watched her hold her head up triumphantly even as she somewhat uneasily doddered up the stairs in her deep red six-inch pumps.

"I think I should go check on her and make sure she is all right," E.J. said running his fingers through his hair. "Excuse me, Father. It was nice seeing you Tony and Anna."

After E.J. left, Stefano and Tony and Anna resumed eating in several minutes of silence before Anna finally spoke.

"Stefano, I hate to break it to you, but if you're looking for a grandchild, you're going to have to look to another daughter-in-law at this point," Anna said finally.

"Oh, Anna," Tony scoffed. "Do you really think that whole speech had anything to do with us? It was clearly designed with E.J.'s happiness in mind."

"You think so, my son, Tony," Stefano said with a sly grin. "You always were too smart for your own good."

"For your own good, too, Stefano," Tony said seriously. "But you don't have anything to worry about from me. I have no intention of saying anything as long as you promise not to hurt my brother the way you hurt me…"

"And as long as you keep paying Anna's credit card bills," Tony said with a smile turning his attention toward Anna.

"Yeah, Stefano, I'll keep him in line," Anna said even as she stared deeply into Tony's eyes before the two of them passionately kissed.

Stefano didn't hear them as he leaned back with a smile on his face locked in his own thoughts, in his own chess game plotting his next move.

But unbeknownst to them all, even Stefano, Andre stood beneath a heating vent in the DiMera's servant's quarters adjacent to the dining room listening to the entire dinner conversation and furious that despite all his loyalty it seemed the man he had given up his life to honor as his father was forsaking him a place as part of his legacy to instead share it with those worthless men he had raised as sons.

Andre clenched his fist angrily but quickly regained his composure and reached in his pocket for his cell phone and dialed.

"It's time. Are you ready?" Andre said nervously into the phone before the response at the other end of the line caused an evil grin to spread across his face. "Good. I think this is going to be fun for the both of us."

Chapter 16

Sami hobbled up the stairs and into her bedroom wobbling greatly but somehow not spilling a drop of the bottle of wine in her shaky right hand.

She stepped over to the vanity and stared in the mirror as she took a large gulp of the wine and felt tears welling up behind her eyes. But as she saw the reflection of E.J. walk in the door behind her, she set the bottle down and furiously began wiping away the liquid in her eyes as her sadness turned to fury.

"Well, that was quite a scene," E.J. said shutting the bedroom door behind him.

"Oh you want a scene, E.J.?! I can give you a scene!" Sami yelled as she threw a vase at the wall that E.J. deftly avoided at the last second.

"That I don't doubt, sweetheart," E.J. said with a smile as he treaded carefully toward Sami.

E.J. turned solemn though, when he noticed her rosy cheeks and nose were not colored by her drinking, but tears.

"Look, this may not mean much to you, but I'm sorry for my father's remarks at dinner, O.K.?" E.J. said putting his hands on Sami's shoulders and looking down into her eyes. "It was wrong of him to say anything about Will and it is wrong of him to expect you to give him grandchildren. I need you to know I don't expect that, sweetheart."

E.J. had meant the words to soothe his sorrowful wife but to his surprise, they had somehow spurred a fresh wave of tears. Panicked, E.J. instinctively grabbed the back of her head with the palm of his hand and pulled her into his chest locking her in a tight embrace in a vain attempt to will her sadness away.

As she began to calm down feeling E.J.'s soothing touch stroking her hair and listening to his reassurances, Sami realized she felt safe, she felt warm and she felt happy standing there in his embrace. She remembered the way he had calmed her after Lucas's shooting and his steady hand when the twins were born. But most of all she remembered the strange sweetness that radiated from E.J.'s face as he held Sofia for the first time.

"But E.J., what if I want more children?" Sami asked quietly before looking up at him.

"Even with the twins? Already?" E.J. said pulling Sami's face back so he could hold her gaze with his hands wrapped around her cheeks before he began pacing around the room. "Not that we can't afford a whole litter of kids, but this is really something you want? To adopt? I mean, I know that seems to be the trend with all the Hollywood actresses these days, but…"

"No, E.J.," Sami said interrupting E.J. and putting her hands on his chest. "I want to have children… with you."

E.J. was taken aback as Sami's hands moved upward to tightly grasp his collar and pull him in for a passionate kiss. It didn't take too long for the shock to wear off and E.J. to enthusiastically reciprocate Sami's affection, before a momentary flash of conscience he didn't even realize he had got the best of him.

E.J. pulled back from the kiss and sighed.

"Samantha, that was some kiss," E.J. said shaking his head.

"You haven't ssseen anything yet," Sami slurred as she attacked him once more.

This time their passion had led him to scoop her up and place her on the bed for a horizontal stab at making out, but once again E.J. was hit with a shocking fit of conscience and he summoned all the willpower he could muster to pull away and simply sit next to her in the bed as his hand covered his face and he collected his breath.

"No, sweetheart, this isn't right," E.J. said getting out of the bed. "You're drunk. Very drunk."

"I'm not THAT very drunk, E.J.," Sami said with a laugh as she hopped out of the bed as well. "And so what if I was? Why should you have trouble sleeping with a woman who may have had five… or six… was it six? Glasses of wine…"

Sami paused as she tried to count the amount of wine she drank on her fingers.

"Yes… six… six glasses of wine," Sami said nodding. "And three glasses of brandy earlier with Stefano, too. Tell me, E.J. Wells-slash-DiMera, why oh why can't you sleep with your wife who just happens to be a wee bit intoxicated when we BOTH know you're not above extorting sex from a woman who doesn't love you, hmmm?"

The words stung but E.J. knew he deserved all that and more that Sami could dish out at him.

"And I know I'm not that man anymore, Samantha. Even if you don't," E.J. said resolutely. "My dear, I'm in love with you. Don't you get that? I do desperately want to be with you. More than you can possibly know. Every cell in my body cries out for you, Samantha, but I don't want to just sleep with you. I want to MAKE LOVE to you."

E.J. ran his hand through his hair in agony over the situation while he wondered if Sami was sober enough to absorb and comprehend what he was telling her. When she responded to his words with nothing but a blank stare and silence, E.J. decided she was too drunk even for that.

"Now if you don't mind I'm going to get you a glass of water," E.J. said walking to the bathroom. "You're going to wake up with a nasty hangover tomorrow if you don't drink some water. And even if you do drink water you'll still probably have a headache in the morning."

Sami tapped her feet angrily and impatiently for the entire fifteen seconds it took E.J. to fill up the cup of water and return with it.

"Here, darling," E.J. said holding out the cup. "Drink this."

"But I don't wannnnnnt it, E.J.," Sami whined. "I wantttt you."

After E.J. pushed Sami away once more, Sami finally took the glass of water out of E.J.'s free hand and pretended like she was going to sip the water before she suddenly dumped it over his head.

"If that's your idea of foreplay, my dear, I am not interested," E.J. said with a grin.

"Dammit E.J.," Sami said pounding his fists in his chest. "Why can't you give me what I want for once and just sleep with me? Look, you can call it whatevvvvverrr you want."

"Samantha, if I slept with you tonight, I'd call it taking advantage of you," E.J. said walking away.

"But… but… but what if I call it you making love to me, E.J.?" Sami asked walking after him and tugging on his arm while pouting. "Why won't you make love to me, tonight?"

E.J. stared at Sami's face and wondered where the strength came from that he could resist that pouting face and those batting eyelashes over sapphire eyes.

"Because it'll make you hate me in the morning, Samantha, and that is the one thing in life I can't bear," E.J. said looking sorrowfully at his wife as he held up her chin with his right thumb and index finger.

"But I already hate you," Sami said desperately as she pressed her lips against his fiercely.

This time, it wasn't difficult at all for E.J. to break away from the kiss.

"Then you'll have to hate me by yourself while I spend the night down the hall in the guest room," E.J. said defiantly as he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 17

E.J. awoke disoriented and sweating as the blinds he had forgotten to shut in the guest bedroom allowed much too much sunlight in the room for him to sleep any longer.

He rubbed his eyes and sat on the edge of the bed looking down at his rumpled clothes on the floor and remembering the awful night before. He estimated he had slept no more than two hours the previous night as his hurt and regret and confusion failed to relent until he was finally to the breaking point of exhaustion. He recalled getting out of bed at one point and walking all the way down the hall to just outside Sami's door to try and have a conversation and settle things once and for all, but then her words telling him she hated him rang in ears once more and he strode back down the hall to his room without ever knocking. E.J. sighed once as he slid his pants back on and sighed again as he put on his shirt and buttoned it halfway.

Though he was fearful of how Sami might react toward him in the morning, he had to see her again. Even if she gave him days and months of pain for every moment of pleasure, he just couldn't stay away. She was his drug. She was his life. And even worse, he needed to tell her that.

Finally, E.J. summoned the courage to knock on Sami's door but he got no answer. He decided she must be with the twins, but when he went back to the nursery he found the twins sleeping peacefully but their mother nowhere in sight. As he stood over the crib looking down on Sofia and Eric John, he smiled widely – the same smile he had the day he helped Sami give birth to them – but in the back of his mind he couldn't repress the selfish wish that they shared his blood. Sure, he would always love these children because they were Sami's and he was thrilled that he would get to raise them with her, but that didn't take away any of the loss he felt ever since Nick told him that he was not the father of the babies and the family he had never known he had dreamed of until it finally seemed within reach was so quickly ripped away from him.

"And to think last night Samantha was willing to give me that and I was too proud and too concerned with virtuous pretensions to let her try," E.J. said with a bitter chuckle to himself. "You two are lucky you don't have a damned fool like me for a father."

E.J. walked back down the hall to Sami's room, this time knocking harder. When there was no answer, E.J. began pounding on the door.

"Samantha, won't you please let me in?" E.J. pleaded. "We need to talk. Look, about last night, don't worry about it. We can just pretend it never happened if you like. I'm sorry I stormed out the way I did and I'd like to talk to you about it."

Hearing nothing, E.J. felt a wave of panic sweep over him.

"Samantha! Are you there?!" E.J. yelled. "SAMANTHA?!"

E.J. fiddled with the locked door before remembering the bedroom key he had in his pants pocket and inserted it into the lock.

E.J. opened the door slowly and cautiously and quickly deduced why Sami hadn't answered him. She wasn't there.

Kicking away some of the glass from the broken vase from the night before as he stepped in the room, E.J. noticed a pile of wadded Kleenexes on the nightstand next to the bed where Sami had slept and E.J. was filled with a wave of guilt. Not only had he failed to be there to soothe Sami's hurt the previous night, but even worse, once again, he had been the cause of it.

Then, something else caught his eye in the twisted bedding where Sami must've slept the night before. It was a letter.

E.J. picked it up and noticed Sami's handwriting right away and his heart sunk.

"_Dear E.J.,_

_Even after all we've been through, I feel funny leaving you in the middle of the night, but I just don't know any other way to do this and I was afraid what would happen if I told you and that I might lose the courage to do this. I thought I could help my family and endure this loveless marriage for their sake, but I have realized now that I can't and so I won't any longer. It's just too much and I can't handle it so I am leaving and going far, far away. Do not bother trying to find me, because you won't succeed. Please tell my family that I love them and I'll miss them and I am terribly sorry for once again disappointing them, however I'm sure it won't be all that much of a surprise to them. _

_Yours truly,_

_Samantha_

_p.s. Always Notice DeaR EJ How Acting Sorry Means Everything._

After the hurt from reading Sami's initial words of leaving sunk in, E.J. began thinking about the strange post script at the end of the letter.

"No she wouldn't leave this way," E.J. said aloud to himself. "Not without telling me face to face. And certainly not without the twins. Something isn't right."

E.J. reached for the phone on the nightstand and let out a deep sigh before dialing.

"Hello, Salem Police Department? This is E.J. Wells. I'd like to speak with Roman Brady," E.J. said.

Chapter 18

Sami squirmed but was unable to break free of her captor's grasp as she marched forward blindly with her arms tied behind her back and a gun jabbing the side of her rib cage.

"Oh there's no place like home," Andre said with a sinister sneer as he pushed Sami into a chair and finally removed her blindfold.

Sami looked around the cinderblock room and was filled with dread wondering what sort of torture was in store for her as Andre's prisoner.

"What is this place?" Sami asked, though she was afraid of the answer.

"Home sweet home," Andre said incredulously. "You don't listen very well, do you?"

Sami sighed realizing she would get nowhere trying to solve Andre's riddles or participating in his mind games. Still, Andre wouldn't stop taunting her.

He walked forward and leaned over her caressing her cheek with the barrel of his gun menacingly.

"So what do you think of your new accommodations?" Andre whispered.

Sami answered with a swift kick to Andre's groin that had him doubling over in pain. Though the action gave Sami some momentary satisfaction, she grew fearful at her rash response as after Andre coughed and winced and took a moment to compose himself, he got up and pointed the gun straight at Sami.

"That wasn't very bright, Sami!" Andre thundered. "You know I can kill you, don't you? I can pull this trigger right now and end your life? I've killed before and I can do it again!"

Sami blinked hard afraid to look, but at the last second Andre clicked back the safety on the weapon, and put the gun down.

"No, ending your pitiful life isn't worth ending mine as well," Andre muttered.

"What do you mean?" Sami asked.

"I mean… the temporary delight I would get seeing your tiny brain splattered all against that wall does not compare to the permanent repercussions that my killing you would bring for my chances to inherit the DiMera legacy," Andre said bitterly. "So instead I'm going to keep you here where no one will ever find you, and if they do, well, it'll already be too late."

Andre laughed maniacally in appreciation of his plans.

"But my family will find me, Andre," Sami said defiantly. "My dad and my uncle will have the Salem P.D. tracking me here to wherever here is and they'll find a way to save me."

"Really?" Andre asked skeptically. "And just why do you think your family is going to send out a search party for you when they think you've run away from your loveless marriage to my pathetic cousin? Do you think they're dying to see you reunited with E.J. so you two can consummate your marriage or something? That is… if you haven't already."

Sami gritted her teeth in frustration that Andre somehow seemed to know her feelings for E.J. even when she hadn't admitted them to anyone.

"And why would Daddy and Uncle Bo suspect anything else when they think I'm dead?" Andre laughed. "No Samantha, I don't think the Bradys will be much help with this one."

"Well, E.J. will suspect something," Sami said desperately. "He loves me. He'll fight for me. He will move heaven and earth to get me back, if it's the last thing he does."

"Maybe it will be the last thing he does," Andre snickered. "But seriously, Sami, even if he is cursed with love for you why would he chase after you when you have done nothing but repeatedly reject him and now run away from him, especially after last night with you telling him you hate him…"

"You heard that?" Sami said with a shudder.

"Yes, every embarrassing detail," Andre said with a smile. "Some row, you two had last night. You'd think you and E.J. had been married for years. I'm so glad I'm a bachelor."

Sami felt the tears building behind her eyes, but she fought hard to hold them back.

"Well, maybe Lucas will come for me," Sami said meekly. "If he thinks I left E.J. maybe he'll hope there's a chance for him."

"It's funny you should mention Lucas," Andre said.

"What's so funny about that?" Sami asked sniffling.

"You mean besides the fact that you so thoroughly embarrassed Lucas by abandoning him and your marriage to him and are now apparently falling for that man you claim to hate and yet you still expect Lucas to rescue you?" Andre chuckled. "Well, Samantha, what's funny is Lucas is in on you being kidnapped. So you just might get your wish of him coming for you after all."

Sami's mouth gaped so wide at the shock of it all that her jaw nearly scraped the floor.

"Surprised? I knew you would be. You know it's been nice visiting, Sami, but I think I'll give you some time alone to think about all this," Andre said as he punched in a code on some buttons next to the door to open it. "Don't go anywhere."

Sami was momentarily relieved when Andre's maniacal laughter was muffled by the door shutting behind him, but then she was left to wonder how ever she would get out of this mess.

Chapter 19

E.J. crumpled in the letter in his hand as he sat downstairs in the parlor waiting for Roman to arrive at the mansion as the events of the previous night replayed in his mind.

"Why did I have to let my pride and hurt over what Sami said to me get in the way of me protecting her?" E.J. muttered to himself as he teemed with frustration. "I'm such a bloody fool. If only I had stayed with her, if only I had been there with her last night I not only could have made love to her, but I could have stopped this horrible thing from happening. And to think, the one time I make an attempt to be chivalrous for her sake and refuse Samantha's advances, she winds up getting punished for it and kidnapped. Maybe it's God's way of telling me I'm meant to be a selfish bastard."

Chuckling to himself at the thought, E.J. got out of his chair to nervously pace the room before finally he wandered over to the bottle of brandy on the tray. He almost poured himself a glass to help ease his nerves, but as he heard the doorbell ring, he set the bottle down and smoothed out the rumpled letter before heading toward the door.

"Hello, Roman… and Marlena," E.J. said surprised to greet both of Sami's parents at the door.

"Hello, E.J.," Roman said bitterly has he stepped into the parlor. "After I got off the phone with you I gave Doc a call so she also could get a chance to hear exactly what the bastard who took our daughter away from us had to say."

E.J. glared in response to his father-in-law's vitriol, but held his tongue.

"Roman…" Marlena said trying to defuse the situation. "E.J., Roman told me you had some news about Sami."

"Yes. Some dreadful news, I'm afraid," E.J. said extending the note to them. "I want you both to see this. I found it on Samantha's bed this morning. I think she's in trouble."

The two of them held the note and read it. While Roman just shook his head at reading it, Marlena frowned sensing something wasn't quite right.

"Doesn't sound like trouble to me," Roman scoffed. "Doesn't sound all that dreadful either. Good for her leaving you and not looking back. I never wanted her to make this sacrifice and marry you anyway."

"Oh, come on, Roman," E.J. said, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "Even if Samantha couldn't handle the marriage, do you really think she would leave without telling you and without her children?"

"Well, maybe if you tried to rape her again," Roman seethed.

Again, E.J. glared but gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"E.J., why don't you show us where you found the note?" Marlena asked as she sensed the tension only building between the two men. "Maybe there are some clues to be found there."

"Right, Marlena," E.J. said heading toward the staircase. "That's a good idea. Follow me."

After leading them up the stairs and toward Sami's bedroom, E.J. opened the large door and nonchalantly walked over to the bed to point out where he had found the note.

"Two beds?" Roman said to Marlena upon first entering the room. "Is this where they filmed 'Leave It To Beaver'?"

She gave the joke a polite smile, but Roman and Marlena's jocular moods changed when they both eyed with suspicion the broken glass from the vase on the floor and the still not cleaned up pile of tissues next to the bed, with Roman especially troubled by them.

"So what da hell happened here last night before you found Sami missing today?" Roman asked.

"We had an argument," E.J. said finally realizing how bad the situation looked to the outsiders, but not wanting to elaborate more on exactly what went on for Sami's sake.

"An argument?" Roman said scratching his chin. "And today you found a note saying she ran away? Is that right?"

"Yes but…" E.J. pleaded.

"But nothing," Roman interrupted. "Come on, Marlena, let's go."

"Wait!" E.J. said. "Look, I don't care what you both think of me, but I'm just begging you, for the sake of your daughter, to take this note down to police headquarters and have someone look it over for some hidden message or check it for fingerprints or something. You've just got to help me find her."

"I don't got to do anything for you," Roman said angrily.

"But you do have to do something for your daughter," E.J. said. "You love her, as do I."

"You call your feelings for my daughter, love?" Roman laughed. "More like a psychological disorder."

"O.K., just leave the professional diagnoses to me, will you Roman?" Marlena sighed, again having to play referee. "You know I don't like E.J. being married to Sami any more than you do given what he's done to all of us, especially after him shooting John, but I really don't think Sami would just run away and leave her babies behind this way, do you? If E.J. had hurt her last night, she certainly wouldn't have left the twins with him."

"Thank you, Marlena," E.J. said, nodding in appreciation.

"Don't," Marlena said coldly. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for my daughter."

"Well, even so, I appreciate that," E.J. said with resignation as he held out the letter to Roman. "And I just want you to know that once we find Samantha, I'll give her a divorce if that's what she truly wants to be happy. Tony and I can put Stefano in a nursing home or something and…

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Roman snickered.

"Oh, come on, Roman," Marlena said. "What do we have to lose just checking this out and trying to find Sami?"

"You're right, Doc," Roman said bitterly, glaring at E.J. as he swiped the note from his hand and headed toward the door. "We've already lost our daughter thanks to him."

Chapter 20

Sitting alone in the cinderblock room with no one to talk to and nothing to do, Sami's mind couldn't help but wander back to the previous evening.

Sami's cheeks flushed just thinking at how strongly and desperately she came on to E.J. and she wished that the intoxicating beverages that had caused her to lose her inhibitions the way they did had also allowed her to black out all memories of that evening, but she had no such luck. From the begging, to the pouting, to the pleading, to the sloppy drunken seduction attempt, she remembered it all.

She also remembered the kisses she and E.J. shared and the way he had held her before he finally pushed her away in agony. Thinking back on it, a part of her got some satisfaction remembering the way he looked suffering because of her and she also chuckled to herself picturing again the way he looked as beads of water dripped over his ears and down the middle of his forehead after she had dumped the cup of water on him.

But then, inevitably, her thoughts veered toward how their night had ended with him storming out after she told him she hated him.

"Nothing could have been further from the truth," she sighed.

Sami's sentimental side did appreciate the way E.J. had tried to do the honorable thing, however her practical one was a bit annoyed.

"Why did he have to pick last night to be honorable?" Sami muttered bitterly to herself. "If he had stayed there and made love to me like I begged him to, Andre wouldn't have been able to kidnap me. Such a noble fool, E.J. was. And he should have known that I truly wanted to be with him."

Of course, Sami knew it wasn't E.J.'s fault for not knowing her true heart. It was hers for not having the courage to tell him when sober as her pride and her hurt feelings wouldn't allow E.J. the satisfaction of knowing how he affected her and how much she needed him just as he did her. She wished she had told him the day they sat in the hospital room holding the babies after she had given birth.

"The babies!" Sami exclaimed. "Oh, I wonder what is to become of the twins if everyone thinks I ran away?"

To Sami's surprise, the door opened with someone giving her an answer.

"The babies are going to be just fine, Sami," Lucas said, entering the room looking a bit crazed, reeking of booze and sporting several days of patchy stubble on his chin. "We're going to be just fine."

"We?" Sami asked. "Lucas, what is going on?"

The last time Sami had seen her ex-husband was at her wedding to E.J. where Lucas had accused her of lusting after E.J. as she claimed to marry him solely because of the feud and he threatened a custody suit. Sami was surprised to see him now so calm and apparently seeking reconciliation, but she realized that the power, money and charm he had to go up against when attempting to take on E.J. must have had a humbling effect on him. Or maybe he was just drunk. He sure smelled like it.

"I'm setting you free, Sami," Lucas said, though he didn't move to untie her hands but simply paced around the room. "Free from your marriage to E.J. See, I came up with this scheme so that you and me and the twins, we can run away together and be a family. I know you're not thrilled about my problem, but this doctor in Mexico has this cure and…"

"You came up with this scheme by yourself?" Sami asked, skeptical given that she had always been the brains of their scheme team operations.

"Well, not exactly," Lucas said. "Someone helped me a little…"

"So Andre was right?" Sami asked. "You were working with him. Unbelievable, Lucas."

"Look, he promised that he would leave us all alone if we went away," Lucas claimed.

"But where does that leave the rest of my family?" Sami asked incredulously. "And just what makes you think you can trust Andre? What does he get out of the deal?"

"Revenge on E.J.," Lucas said. "Simple as that."

"There are lots of ways that Andre could get revenge on him," Sami said. "I think we both know there has to be something more at work here."

"Well, what do you care?" Lucas asked.

"I care a lot. I love E.J. more than anything and I think I always have," Sami said, surprising herself with the words just as much as she did Lucas.

Lucas said nothing for a moment as his cheeks reddened and his eyes squinted as his temper began boiling.

"More than me, obviously," Lucas said bitterly. "And more than these twins, apparently, because since you refused my offer to go away with me, I'm going to see to it you never see them again, Sami. I'm gonna keep them from you the same way you tried to keep Will from me. I tried to give you another chance. I don't know why. You're certainly not worth it. You're still the same selfish, self-destructive, lying whore you always were."

"Oh is that so?" Sami said gritting her teeth and struggling against the rope tying her to the chair as she tried to get up to kick her ex-husband's ass. "Well, I don't know why I ever felt sorry enough for you to give you another chance after Carrie dumped your pathetic ass for Austin. I don't know why I ever let you manipulate me and my sense of obligation to try to give Will the perfect family to try to make a relationship work with you. Because God knows he could never have a perfect family with a bitter, judgmental, insecure, Mama's boy with small man's syndrome like you for a father."

"That's funny, Sami," Lucas said. "Because I was just thinking what a perfect family I'm going to have with these twins that you will never see again and how they won't even remember their pathetic mother. Well, I should really be going. Have a nice life."

"Lucas, wait!" Sami shouted desperately as Lucas pressed the code and exited the cinderblock room. "Don't you dare touch my twins! I'll kill you if you even so much as breathe on them! Lucas!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 21

E.J. sat by the phone anxiously hoping Roman would call him with some information about the letter, so anxious in fact that when the doorbell rang he reached for the princess phone in the parlor before realizing someone was at the door.

Hoping the person brought news of Sami, E.J. opened the door without looking through the peephole.

"Have you heard anything about Samantha… oh Lucas," E.J. said, looking with pity on the sad man in front of him. "I'm sorry, but we're all stocked up on Girl Scout Cookies here so if you'll run along…"

E.J. tried to slam the door shut, but Lucas stuck out his foot in the door to block it.

"But if I run along I won't have the chance to tell you what I heard about Sami," Lucas said.

Curious, E.J. opened the door wide and allowed him to enter.

"Just what have you heard about Samantha?" E.J. asked impatiently. "Tell me."

"Well, I heard she left town," Lucas crowed. "Got fed up being married to you, not that that's all that surprising given what a bastard you are."

"Cute," E.J. smiled scornfully. "And do you happen to know where she is? No? Well then maybe you can spare me the insults and tell me what you're bloody well doing here. Or even better, leave."

"I'm here for my children!" Lucas screamed. "Since Sami abandoned them, I'm going to take care of them now. They're going to be with their father. Their true father."

E.J. scowled while Lucas smiled knowing he had scored a direct hit on what was quite the sore subject for E.J.

"But you can't take them. Sami hardly abandoned them, Lucas," E.J. said defensively. "The police are looking into her disappearance and she's only been gone a few hours. And aren't you at all worried about this? You once loved her, or at least made a very good imitation of it, Lucas, so are you telling me now you don't care at all where she is or what's happened to her?"

"I can honestly say that," Lucas said bitterly. "But I do care about these twins. They're all I have left."

E.J. sighed. Something didn't seem right with all of this, but so sick with worry over Sami he wasn't entirely thinking straight and he very much wanted to get rid of the poison dwarf, even if it meant letting him babysit the twins until Sami was back.

"Well, I suppose it can't hurt to let you watch the twins while all of us are out looking for Sami," E.J. said as he walked up the stairs to get the twins.

"No it can't hurt," Lucas whispered to himself with a wicked grin while E.J. went upstairs.

A few minutes later E.J. came downstairs with the twins toted in car seats in each arm while each of their diaper bags were draped around his neck. E.J. passed them off to Lucas begrudgingly as he still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about this, but he decided his worry was more for Sami than anything.

"Let me know when you find Sami," Lucas said with a strange smile as E.J. shut the front door behind him.

E.J. almost went after him to find out what he meant when his father came up behind him.

"Who was at the door?" Stefano asked. "Did someone have news about Samantha?"

"No, Father," E.J. sighed. "It was Lucas Roberts. He came to pick up the twins. I told him he could watch them until Samantha gets back."

Stefano eyes shifted with nervousness at those words, but E.J. didn't notice.

"Say, Father, you don't know anything about Samantha's disappearance do you?" E.J. asked. "Because I just have this funny feeling I can't shake that somehow Andre is involved in this. I mean, I know it's crazy because I killed him, but…"

"Oh Elvis, it's only natural for your thinking to be a little crazy when you are so sick with worry for your beloved," Stefano said, attempting to change the subject. "I do hope you find her soon, but I am not feeling well so I am going to lie down."

"But Father, wait…" E.J. said even as Stefano waved him off and continued walking back to his bedroom.

E.J. began pacing wondering what he could do to try to find Sami. He had to take some sort of action or he'd lose his mind before Roman called with information on the letter. E.J. decided to walk back upstairs to the bedroom and see if he could come up with any clues looking around the room.

The room was still just as he had left it before with the tissues and broken glass, but in the bright mid-day sunlight something in the painting that frightened Samantha caught his eye.

Chapter 22

E.J. walked over to the painting and stared into its haunting eyes that seemed strangely familiar, even though the face in the portrait was not. He remembered his father once telling him it was of Stefano's brother, Giovanni, who was Andre's father. Apparently Giovanni had died of mysterious causes while Andre was just a boy and that was why he came to think of Stefano so much as his own father.

Stefano didn't like talking about Giovanni, and E.J. knew better than to press his father exactly why that was the case but the few times he did talk about him, E.J. got the sense that his uncle's death was sudden, tragic and devastating to his brother and best friend.

Realizing his standing around the bedroom reminiscing wasn't doing much to find Sami, E.J. turned and started to head out of the room, until out of the corner of his eye he noticed the painting was crooked.

E.J. reached up to try to straighten the painting, but when he fiddled with the frame to attempt to set it straight it still kept sliding back even more crooked than before. So E.J. took the painting off the wall in an attempt to reset it straight back on the hook, however E.J. never would put that painting back on the wall as removing it had uncovered a bizarre six-inch by three-inch rectangle hole in the wall.

Shocked to discover this surprise in his family's own home, E.J. picked up the painting again and looked at its backing. Though the painting had been encased in glass in the front, it had no backing to protect the fabric of the canvas and when E.J. slid his hand across the material he noticed a slit where he could peel back the painting right where the portrait's eyes would be.

"So someone has been watching us? Watching Sami?" E.J. muttered himself trying to make sense of it all. "And there's a room behind this wall!"

E.J. began pounding on the wall around the hole and screaming for Sami but he heard nothing in return. He knew there must be some secret doorway to get through the wall but how would he get back there, E.J. wondered.

Running his fingers against the wall and eyeing it extremely closely, E.J. thought he could make out a crease in the wall where a door opening might be between the bed and the bureau, but with no handle to open it that didn't help much.

After lunging at the wall gave him nothing more than a bruised shoulder, E.J. sighed. At wit's end and feeling defeated, E.J. rested his hand on the phoenix statue on top of the bureau, when to his surprise the statue pulled back and suddenly the door opened.

"Samantha?" E.J. yelled as he stepped into the dark passageway. "Samantha, where are you?"

E.J. turned to the right as he got into the passageway and began walking down the hallway calling for Sami despite not knowing what he might find. Though he was in his family's house, this part of it was completely foreign to him.

"Samantha?" E.J. called, but still hearing nothing his voice got weaker and he started to wonder if he had fallen into some sort of trap.

Yet as he got to the end of the passageway and found a heavy door where the hallway stopped, E.J. knew Sami was inside, he could feel it, even before he burst through the door screaming for her.

"E.J.!" Sami shouted with relief as she struggled with the ropes binding her hands to the chair. "Thank God you found me. I was so scared."

E.J. knelt in front of the chair as he put his hands on Sami's cheeks in an attempt to soothe her. E.J. wanted desperately to kiss her, but he decided that could wait as he pulled out his pocket knife and reached each arm around her sides to try to unbind her.

"Thanks for coming for me, E.J.," Sami said. "Thanks for knowing that I didn't leave you."

"You can thank me later," E.J. said with a wink. "Right now, we've got to get you out of here, sweetheart."

But before he could cut through the rope to free Sami, a familiar voice entering the room prompted him to drop the knife.

"Sami, you didn't tell me we were having company," Andre snickered as he walked in the room smiling with his gun outstretched. "Good thing I just LOVE surprises."

EJ turned around and got up to stand, but Andre scolded him waving him into a chair next to Sami.

"You sit right there and don't move if you don't want your bride's brain blown to bits," Andre warned.

E.J. gritted his teeth but complied, unwilling to risk an attempt at wrestling the gun away from Andre and put Sami in more danger. As Andre took some extra rope to tie him to the chair, E.J. looked at Sami and sighed for failing her.

Somehow despite the dire straits for the two of them, Sami remained as spirited and feisty as ever.

"You're not going to get away with this Andre," Sami snarled.

"Oh, I'm not?" Andre laughed. "It doesn't appear Elvis brought any backup, now does it?"

Sami scowled with hatred but said nothing.

"And I'm sure he can tell you how your father saw your note and is convinced you really did run away of your own accord to get away from that awful, hated husband sitting next to you?" Andre said with a smile.

Sami glared at Andre but when her gaze turned toward E.J. and his eyes confirmed what Andre had said, Sami frowned.

"Maybe Sami, you can fill in E.J. on why Lucas won't be coming to the rescue on this occasion," Andre chuckled.

E.J. was confused by the statement as well as Sami's reaction to it, but decided to change the subject.

"Andre, just what do you think you're going to accomplish by keeping us prisoner here?" E.J. asked. "You know that Father will never go for this. You'll be kicked out of the family."

"Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that," Andre said in a mocking sarcastic tone as he stood in the doorway about to leave them. "Perhaps I'll just have to eliminate Stefano and take control of this family myself. Thanks for the idea, E.J."

The door slammed shut. E.J. and Sami looked at each other unsure what to do or what to say.

Chapter 23

Andre giggled to himself as he strolled out of the secret passageway and back into Sami's bedroom.

"It's all mine," Andre said to himself as he pushed the door back into place, reset the phoenix statue on the bureau and placed the picture frame carefully back on the wall. "The DiMera Empire is mine."

But Andre didn't realize the current occupant of the family's throne was within earshot.

"Just what do you think you're doing Andre?" Stefano screamed so loudly and startled Andre so badly he jumped.

"Just admiring this portrait of my father," Andre lied coolly, regaining his composure despite not knowing just how long Stefano had been standing in the bedroom doorway. "Well, of my biological father, anyway, Father."

Though Stefano walked with a cane, it didn't take him long to get across the room and confront his mischievous nephew.

"You are lying to me!" Stefano screamed as he smacked Andre across the face. "Where is Elvis?"

"How should I know?" Andre asked through gritted teeth.

Stefano cocked his hand back ready to smack Andre again just as his nephew decided to offer up the truth – well, part of it anyway.

"He probably went looking for Samantha," Andre said.

Stefano sighed. "What did you do with her Andre?" Stefano asked with resignation.

"What did I do with her?" Andre asked. "I did nothing to her. Didn't she leave some letter saying she ran away?"

"She did, and now Elvis is missing and Lucas Roberts has the twins," Stefano said with exasperation. "DiMera twins! All my plans are in ruin."

"And how is that my fault?" Andre asked. "I've done everything you wanted."

"Don't lie to me, Andre," Stefano said firmly. "I raised you, I gave you everything you ever wanted, everything you ever needed after Giovanni's death. I took you in and made you a part of my family and treated you like my own son. I deserve the truth."

"Oh, I'll tell you what you deserve," Andre said with an evil grin. "To be treated just like my own father."

Andre pulled a syringe out of his pocket, which Stefano eyed nervously.

"What do you mean?" Stefano asked, unsure he wanted the answer. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking what is mine," Andre said. "What should be mine after all the loyalty I gave to you, to this family all these years. I worshipped you, Stefano. When I was a child I wanted nothing more than to be one of your subjects, to get close to you, to be just like you and that's why… That's why my real father had to die."

Stefano recoiled in horror.

"But you were just a boy!" Stefano screamed.

"Yes," Andre said with a sinister grin. "But I had outgrown my father. He had outlived his purpose and I needed to live with you if I was ever going to assume my rightful place as head of the DiMera Empire."

"I won't let this happen," Stefano insisted. "Get out of my sight. You are a traitor to the DiMera name."

"No, Stefano, I think that's you," Andre snickered. "You're the one who's turning over your kingdom to that lovesick golden boy of yours no matter how many times he's defied you. You're the one who's letting the Bradys live in peace just so you can play matchmaker. No, you are not fit to rule."

"Andre, no! No!" Stefano screamed as Andre shoved the syringe in his arm.

"That should do the trick," Andre said as he looked back quickly before he darted out of the room and out of the mansion without being seen.

Stefano collapsed against the wall right next to Giovanni's portrait and slid his arm along the wall until he finally ended up on the floor convulsing.

Chapter 24

"Well this is just great," Sami sighed as she turned away from E.J. and began struggling with the ropes tying her to the chair.

"I'm sorry, Samantha," E.J. said with resignation. "I'm sorry I failed you."

"Failed me?" Sami scoffed. "Are you telling me you are giving up? We can't let Andre get away with this. We just can't."

"You're right, sweetheart, I just wish we had a plan to get out of here," E.J. said, beginning to struggle with the ropes behind his back. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it sure would be nice if we saw Lucas show up right about now."

Sami met E.J.'s eyes with anguish at those words and then looked away.

"What? I take it I said something wrong," E.J. said shaking his head in frustration. "Are you going to fill me in or do you want me to play twenty questions to figure out what Andre was talking about when he brought up Lucas before and why I shouldn't dare to hope for your ex-husband to come walking through that door?"

"E.J., Lucas already has walked through that door!" Sami screamed as tears filled her eyes and E.J.'s stomach began doing backflips. "Lucas was in on this whole thing with Andre! That's why we have to get out of here before he gets his hands on those babies."

"Oh God," E.J. whispered to himself without Sami hearing him.

"Speaking of the babies, E.J., where are they?" Sami asked desperately. "Did you leave them with my mother or Anna before you started looking for me?"

E.J.'s instinct was to lie. He wanted to shelter Sami from any more worry. He wanted to tell her the truth after he had recovered the twins when the painful and embarrassing truth – that he had been duped by Lucas Roberts and had unwittingly handed them over to the enemy – would cease to matter. E.J. opened his mouth about to speak when the tears welling up in Sami's eyes forced him to pause. He simply couldn't lie to Sami about her children, even if he had lied about so many other things.

"I… I'm sorry, Samantha," E.J. stuttered. "I… I…. well, you see, Lucas stopped by while I was sick with worry for you and…"

"Lucas?!" Sami raged, interrupting her husband. "Oh no, tell me you didn't hand over the twins to that bastard."

"Samantha, how was I supposed to know that jobless, ambitionless, charmless twerp was cunning enough to pull off something like this?" E.J. asked defensively. "He came by asking to see the twins and even though something didn't seem right I thought maybe he could watch them while I went looking for you."

"Well, this is just great," Sami said getting out of the chair to stand up and pace the room as the ropes that had been binding her to the chair fell off her arms and onto the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 25

Stefano's eyes fluttered as he regained consciousness and began surveying the hospital room around him as he tried to make sense of where he was.

At first Stefano was relieved to realize he was alive but that feeling was short-lived as another wave of panic set in as he noticed the face of the man sitting next to him light up alerted to the fact that he was now awake and as the man's hand reached out to hold his.

"Andre, no!" Stefano screamed as he frantically tried to reach for the call button. "Get your hands off me! Don't drug me again. No, Andre. You can't do this. Not to me."

"Stefano, what are you talking about?" Tony said with surprise. "It's me, Tony. Were you having a bad dream?"

Stefano's silence at the question gave him his answer even if Stefano did not.

"So it wasn't a bad dream?" Tony asked. "Andre did this to you. He's alive and he's the one who drugged you."

"Yes, Tony," Stefano said with a sigh. "Andre is alive and he is more dangerous than ever. I think he has E.J. and Sami hidden away somewhere, maybe even back at the mansion."

"Well that is his M.O., isn't it Stefano?" Tony asked bitterly. "But why would he go after them? Why now?

"Andre's upset with me that I want to leave you and E.J. my legacy and now he will stop at nothing to get that for himself," Stefano said. "He won't even think of shrinking from ending the lives of anyone who gets in his way."

"Well, you are lucky he didn't start with your life, Stefano," Tony said. "Thankfully, Dr. Rolf happened to be looking for you shortly after your run-in with Andre and so he was able to resuscitate you before whatever Andre injected you with stopped your heart completely. It's a shame he got away without anyone noticing, though. You know, Rolf is waiting outside in the lounge worried sick about you, I should tell him you're all right."

But Stefano's frantic gasping for air as he tried to keep Tony from leaving succeeded in bringing his bastard son back from the door.

"What is it, Stefano?" Tony asked coming back to sit down at his bedside.

"Before you leave, before something else happens to me, I have to come clean so that someone knows," Stefano said beginning his confession.

"I take it you had an idea Andre was alive before he decided to play Nurse Ratched with you?" Tony asked with a sigh.

"Yes," Stefano admitted. "I wanted to help Elvis with Samantha and I thought I could use Andre to do that. When Elvis shot him, Andre was wearing a bulletproof vest. He left that folio for Samantha to find it on purpose."

"And E.J. went along with this since winning Sami, whatever the costs, is the most important thing to him?" Tony asked.

"No," Stefano said shaking his head in the negative. "Elvis doesn't know about that. He doesn't know about any of this."

"Any of this?" Tony asked curiously. "What else is there?"

Stefano gulped as he was not accustomed to either sharing his secrets or admitting his mistakes.

"The twins," Stefano said with a sigh. "Elvis is the father of the twins. I kept this from him because I was afraid if he knew they were his children there might come a time that he would keep them from me and keep me from helping to make them true DiMeras."

"True DiMeras?" Tony said getting out of his chair appalled at what he was hearing. "Can you hear yourself and how ridiculous that sounds? You thought you could make them true DiMeras by keeping their true father from them? How could you do this to E.J. and Samantha, Stefano? Didn't you learn anything from the mistakes you made with me?"

"Apparently not," Stefano said with a heavy heart as his eyes began blinking and his strength began failing once more. "And to make matters worse I have lost these children just the same as that idiot Lucas Roberts has come to claim them with Sami missing."

"This is unbelievable, Stefano," Tony said, rubbing his face and wondering what to do with this information. "What are we going to do?"

"Tony, you have to stop him. It's up to you to stop Andre," Stefano said finally before he slipped back into sleep.

Tony sighed as he stepped out of Stefano's hospital room and turned off the light to allow the man who had raised him to get some much needed rest.

He wasn't sure exactly what to do about Andre, but knowing now that he was alive there was one phone call in particular he had to make.

"Hello, Anna," Tony said after listening to the prompt in his wife's voice mail. "Anna, please call me back when you get this. I need to warn you that Andre is alive and he is on the loose and as you know, he seems to get quite a thrill out of impersonating me so I just want you especially to be extra careful. I love you, Contessa."

Chapter 26

"Samantha, you're free!" E.J. said excitedly noticing Sami had freed herself to walk around the room. "If I haven't told you this lately, I'm sorry, because you're bloody amazing, sweetheart. I simply don't know how you did it."

"Well, here's how, E.J.," Sami said holding up E.J.'s pocketknife with the blade extended. "Luckily, when you dropped that knife when Andre came in the room it fell right into my hand."

"That's great, Samantha," E.J. said smiling. "Now you can cut me free and we can get out of here."

"Cut you free?" Sami asked bitterly. "I should just cut you, period, for handing over the twins to Lucas."

"Samantha, come on," E.J. said pleading with Sami as she began banging on the door and trying to figure out how to escape on her own. "Let me help you, darling."

"I don't want your help," Sami said crying as she turned away from the door and leaned against it feeling defeated. "Surely my dad will come and help. He'll figure out a way to get in here and save us."

E.J. didn't have the heart to dissuade Sami from that pipe dream, at least not until Sami sensed his hesitation.

"O.K., E.J., tell me what's up with my father," Sami said angrily. "Did Andre kill him? Is that why you're so quiet?"

"No, Samantha," E.J. said sighing. "Thankfully, it's not as bad as all that it's just…"

"Just what, huh?" Sami said impatiently with her arms folded across her chest. "Come on. Spit it out."

"My dear, it's just that I don't think you should count on Roman to come riding to your rescue because when I called him after finding your note he didn't believe me when I told him that you couldn't have run away," E.J. said quickly, trying to make the truth as painless as possible.

"How could he think I would abandon my twins that way?" Sami asked as her lips quivered. "How could he think I could abandon my promise to my family that way? I did this for them. I gave myself to you and your family in this sham of a marriage to save their lives and ensure their safety and happiness."

"I know," E.J. said flatly, trying to ignore the hurt he felt being reminded that Sami was his wife because of circumstance rather than choice. "But you shouldn't be mad at Roman for his reaction. It's my fault for being such a bastard to you all these months that he would jump to the conclusions he did."

"No, E.J., that doesn't forgive it," Sami said bitterly. "He should know. He should know his daughter better than that. Did you show him the letter? Did he come to the house? Tell me."

"Yes, I showed him the letter and gave it to him to take to the police station when he came to the house," E.J. sighed. "Unfortunately his paying a visit to your bedroom and seeing the broken vase and tissues all over the floor only reinforced his belief that you ran away to escape your life with me."

Sami was stunned and said nothing for a moment as her cheeks flushed as she remembered the previous night with E.J.

"So you didn't tell him what happened?" Sami asked curiously.

E.J. smiled.

"Like he would have believed me," E.J. snickered. "And besides, I didn't think you'd much enjoy me embarrassing you by advertising to your father your alcohol-induced ardor for me. I told him and your mother the truth, well part of it anyway, that we had an argument, but I didn't think you had run away because of it."

Sami paused for a moment to think about how the situation must have looked to her parents given how much she'd proclaimed her hatred for E.J. in the past. Then she remembered something that brought her a ray of hope.

"But my father has the note, right?" Sami asked anxiously.

"Yes, I asked him to check it for fingerprints," E.J. said. "He was going to take it to the station. Do you remember Andre handling it?"

"Well, no," Sami said shaking her head. "Andre put a gun to my head and forced me to write it but he never touched it."

E.J. shut his eyes and hung his head.

"But thankfully Andre didn't read the postscript I left," Sami said. "Did you notice it, E.J.? I actually left it for you."

E.J. recalled the phrase because it had seemed so strange to him, but he still had no clue exactly what his wife had meant by it.

"Oh yes," E.J. said it back to her. "P.S. Always Notice DeaR EJ How Acting Sorry Means Everything. Very philosophical of you, sweetheart. Although, I have to say I've acted quite sorry for my actions to you for quite some time, but that doesn't seem to…"

"No, E.J.!" Sami said with exasperation. "You don't get it. Did you notice the capitalization of everything? I was leaving you a message. Always Notice DeaR EJ How Acting Sorry Means Everything. A-N-D-R-E H-A-S M-E. Andre has me. Get it?"

"Well, I do now," E.J. said with a laugh. "Let's just hope someone at the Salem Police Department has the brain power to crack the code without having you there to spell it out for them."

Knowing the limitations of the police force despite her family's presence in the department and perhaps because of it, Sami didn't think the dearth of brain power on the Salem P.D. was such a laughing matter.

"Everything is a joke with you, isn't it?" Sami said with frustration.

"Samantha, I'm just thinking of you and thought you might appreciate me lightening the mood with a little levity," E.J. said with a wink.

"Well, stop it, O.K.," Sami said emphatically. "Because I'm not in the mood. Oh, don't you dare smirk at that!"

"Smirk at what?" E.J. asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

"I saw that look on your face when I mentioned that I wasn't in the mood. Urgggggh!" Sami said throwing her hands in the air. "E.J., sometimes… sometimes I just can't help but hate myself for the way that I…"

"The way that what?" E.J. interrupted as his grin spread wide across his face. "The way that you're hopelessly, helplessly attracted to me?" 

Chapter 27

Lucas paused for a moment as he stood outside his mother's office at Titan. It amazed him the way that his mother had so quickly gone from under the SEC's thumb for her dealings at Mythic to having an executive position at yet another Fortune 500 company thanks to Phillip.

A part of him was envious of Kate for her success in the corporate world that he knew he would never obtain, while another part of him was envious of Phillip for being able to help his mother get that while Lucas did nothing but bring her down. But Lucas tried to put that out of his mind as he sighed and approached the slightly open door.

"You busy, Mom?" Lucas asked as he knocked on the door of his mother's office at Titan.

"I'm never too busy for you, Lucas," Kate said hanging up the phone on her desk. "Come in."

Just as Lucas stepped in the room, Anna DiMera came to the door to ask Kate a question about the design proposal Kate was seeking for the Basic Black revamp project. Anna was just about to knock on the door when she decided not to announce her presence as eavesdropping on the two of them without them knowing was much more tactful, as was turning her phone on vibrate so they wouldn't be able to hear it if it rang.

"Well, don't just stand there, Lucas," Kate said, urging her son to come closer to her. "I can see you look like hell from here if that is what you're trying to hide from me."

"Gee, thanks, Mom," Lucas muttered bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Lucas, but I worry about you," Kate said with a sigh. "I know you've taken this breakup with Sami extra hard and I understand that you need time to grieve and if that involves you taking a drink or two to get through it, well I'm not going to judge you for that even if I still don't understand what you ever saw in that sneaky, trampy, blonde bitch…"

"Dammit, Mom," Lucas said interrupting and slamming his hand on the desk. "I didn't come here to talk about Sami!"

"Well, Lucas, what did you come here to talk about? Do you need money?" Kate asked as she reached into her purse to find her checkbook.

"No, I didn't come here for money," Lucas said in frustration. "I don't want anything from you. I just want to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Kate asked, as her brow furrowed with confusion. "You're leaving Salem? Well, what about your twins?"

"They're coming with me," Lucas said.

"How'd you manage that?" Kate asked as her eyebrow raised. "I expected Sami to fight you tooth and nail for those kids and especially with the DiMeras paying for her lawyers I didn't think she'd…"

"Sami didn't give me the kids," Lucas said.

"Oh, Lucas, don't tell me you're planning on trying to kidnap them," Kate scoffed.

"Hey, I'm not kidnapping them," Lucas said defensively. "Sami abandoned them. She ran away and so now I'm taking care of them."

"And you have no idea where she ran away to?" Kate asked skeptically. "Come on, Lucas, level with me."

"Maybe I do know where she is all right," Lucas said finally. "Maybe I do know that Andre is holding her hostage."

Anna gasped and reached for her phone while Lucas and Kate continued their conversation unaware that someone had been listening to them.

"But dammit she deserves it," Lucas said bitterly. "Sami deserves to lose these kids. She walked out on me to be with that British bastard and I have no intention of letting her get away with it. That's why I'm leaving for Italy tonight with the twins and I'm never coming back."

"Italy?" Kate asked. "Why Italy? And how can you afford that? Is someone helping you with this?"

"Maybe," Lucas said defensively. "All right, Mom, I'll tell you. Andre set me up with some first class tickets to leave tonight and I'm planning to stay at a villa owned by a friend of his."

"Andre? DiMera? But I thought Andre was dead," Kate said, confused.

"Does anyone in that family ever stay dead?" Lucas asked.

"Good point," Kate sighed. "But working with Andre? That madman? What does he get out of this?"

"Revenge on E.J., I guess," Lucas said. "But what does it matter?"

"Lucas, I guess I could understand how taking Sami out of the picture would let Andre get back at E.J., but what does that have to do with helping you get your children back?" Kate asked.

"I don't know," Lucas said, not wanting to think about the valid question raised by his mother. "Maybe he felt sorry for me. Maybe he had a soft spot for me from when I used to work with him. It doesn't matter."

"Lucas, I know getting those twins is important to you, but are you sure this is what you want to do?" Kate asked.

"I'm sure, Mom," Lucas said. "Sure as anything I've ever been sure of in my life."

After several rings, Anna finally got through to Roman's cell phone and stepped away from the door to tell him the news she had heard from Lucas.

Meanwhile, Roman and Marlena had been standing around his desk at the police station staring over Sami's note in the vain attempt to find a clue contained within it after the forensic test of the letter had turned up no fingerprints or any other information.

"Listen, Roman," Marlena said. "You can't really believe our daughter ran away. As horrible as E.J. is, I don't believe that he did something so horrible that Sami would leave him without telling us and without her children."

"Why don't you call John up and see if he can take time away from his visit to Brady and Chloe in the midst of our daughter's latest crisis to see if he can remind you of the horrible things E.J. Wells is capable of?" Roman asked.

"That's not fair," Marlena said bitterly. "I don't need a reminder of the heartache and devastation that E.J. can cause. And I did talk to John earlier, thank you very much, but he agreed with me that Sami did not run away."

"Well, you and John always did stick together," Roman said bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Marlena asked. "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. We are not fighting about the past. We need to stick together now to find our daughter."

"Well, Doc, how in da hell are we supposed to do that when all we have is this piece of paper?" Roman asked as he laid the paper on the table in front of them.

Marlena sighed as she ran her fingers over the note imagining the fear and sadness her daughter must have felt while writing it.

"Hold on, I need to take this," Roman said as he picked up his cell phone. "Now what's this about Lucas and Kate, Anna?"

Marlena didn't listen to her ex-husband while he chatted with one of his other ex-wives as something in the letter finally caught her eye.

_p.s. Always Notice DeaR EJ How Acting Sorry Means Everything._

"Well that was Anna," Roman said flipping the cell phone shut. "You're never going to guess what she found out about Sami."

"Andre has her!" Marlena said.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it seems he does," Roman said. "I guess Anna overheard Kate and Lucas talking about it. But how did you know that?"

"Look at the end of the letter. The capital letters. A-N-D-R-E H-A-S M-E! Andre has me!" Marlena said. "Sami was sending us a message after all. Oh we've got to find her."

"Unfortunately not just her," Roman said wearily. "Lucas is using this opportunity to run off with the twins."

"Well, we can't let him get away with that," Marlena said emphatically. "I'm going to head over to Stefano's hospital room right now to see if I can get some answers."

"Oh, no you don't, Marlena," Roman said. "Not with Andre on the loose. You stay here out of the way where you're safe. Promise me you'll stay away from that hospital room of Stefano's while I'm going to go pay a visit to Kate to see if I can get some more information about what Andre and Lucas are up to. Promise me, Doc."

"I promise," Marlena sighed.

"I'll be back soon," Roman said giving his ex-wife a kiss on the cheek.

Marlena rolled her eyes behind Roman's back while the door slammed shut behind him as he hurried out of his office.

"Hmmmmm, I promised I'd stay away from Stefano's hospital room, but I didn't promise I'd stay away from his mansion," Marlena said to herself as she walked out of the room.

Chapter 28

"Dammit, E.J.," Sami said stomping her feet. "Do you always have to be so arrogant and egotistical?"

"I'm afraid so darling," E.J. said furrowing his brow. "I know how much you love that about me."

"Oh, how could I forget?" Sami asked sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Darling, seriously, I'm sorry for this, really I am," E.J. said as he tried to soothe his wife while he continued to struggle with the ropes binding his arms behind his back while he sat in the chair.

"I bet you're sorry," Sami said in exasperation. "Since it seems you only exist to frustrate me. When I want you to go to hell, you refuse to leave my side. And when I want you to…"

"Want me to what?" E.J. asked after waiting for Sami to continue while the words were stuck in her throat.

"When I wanted you to make love to me, you refused me, and if you hadn't we wouldn't be stuck here," Sami said bitterly. "You never give me what I want."

Now it was E.J.'s turn to roll his eyes.

"I can't win with you, Samantha, can I?" E.J. asked seriously. "Listen, I need you to know that I want you and I want to be with you and want to be wanted by you more than anything, but unless you start telling me what you want, I can't give it to you. When you came on to me last night, I didn't feel right giving you what you were asking for when it seems like every one of your sober words to me since we've been married have filled with nothing but at best cold indifference and at worst bitter hatred. But you are sober now. Tell me sweetheart, what do you want?"

Sami thought about the question for a moment and sighed.

"Honestly, E.J., I don't know what I want," Sami said finally.

"Well, let me know when you figure it out," E.J. scoffed. "I'll just be over here trying to free myself since you seem to have no interest in untying me and this conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere. You're never going to tell me what you want."

Sami took E.J.'s words as a challenge and bit her lip before she walked over toward where E.J. was sitting and sat on his lap facing him, her legs wrapped around the chair. E.J. also bit his lip, but tried to hide his excitement at this development.

"The truth is E.J. sometimes I want you as much as you want me," Sami said running her hands over E.J.'s chest while his hands were still tied behind his back.

E.J. couldn't stifle the grin from spreading across his face as his wife's touch stretched up from his chest to his face and then she began running her fingers through his hair. E.J. wanted desperately to touch his wife and caress her and pull her in for a kiss as she sat in his lap so close to him, but with his hands tied behind his back there was nothing he could do. Finally, Sami leaned forward as if to kiss him, but at the last moment she redirected her lips toward his right ear as if she might blow in it.

"And sometimes, E.J., I just want to make you suffer the way you've made me suffer," Sami whispered before climbing off his lap and cackling devilishly.

E.J. was not amused to see his affections toyed with that way and Sami noticed this, but that only made her laugh harder as she looked at him as his face flushed with fury and he was still tied to the chair.

It didn't take long though for Sami's laughter to stop as she watched E.J.'s arms finally flex and break free of the rope that was binding him and he promptly got out of the chair to confront her.

Sami was nearly frozen by the intense, icy stare E.J. was giving her and without realizing it backed further and further against the wall until finally she was cornered against the door, which she leaned back against trembling when E.J. put the palms of his right and left hands against the door while his arms corralled her.

"What is it, Samantha? Are you scared?" E.J. asked with wildness in his eyes that terrified and thrilled his wife.

Sami nodded.

"Are you scared of me or are you scared of your feelings for me?" E.J. asked again.

"B-b-both," Sami admitted trembling.

To Sami's surprise, E.J. just smiled.

"Well you have nothing to fear from me," E.J. said leaning in to whisper in Sami's ear, his face lingering at her cheek and his breath pouring over the side of her neck. "Just tell me what you want… right now."

E.J. leaned back to observe the reaction on Sami's face.

At first Sami was in shock and her mouth spread agape at E.J.'s boldness and the strangeness of the moment. But then Sami's eyes squinted as her cheeks allowed a hint of a smile. That smile was reciprocated by E.J., who was pleased with Sami's response as she tightly grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him in for a deep, passionate, fiery kiss full of longing and desperation.

Finally breaking for air, the two of them paused to look at each other as they both tried to absorb the apparently life-changing moment they shared.

"I love you, Samantha," E.J. sighed. "I've always loved you and I always will."

"I love you, too, E.J. I want you to know that I want you," Sami blurted before pressing her lips against E.J.'s once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 29

Tony paced outside Stefano's hospital room impatiently waiting for Anna to arrive. Stefano's condition was stable, but Tony knew that once Andre found out that Stefano lived there was a very good chance he might come back and try to finish the job.

She had called him back and told him that she was coming to the hospital from Mythic, but Tony knew that Anna, for all her charms, never was the most punctual of ladies so even though his heart was sick with worry that Andre might have done something to her he also knew there was just as good of a chance she may have been waylaid by a designer shoe sale she noticed when passing by Salem Place.

Just as Tony was about to pick up his phone and leave another voice mail, Rolf came out of Stefano's room and asked Tony if he would like a cup of coffee. Though Tony wasn't thirsty, drinking the cup would give him something to do so he agreed.

After pacing for some time with his mind racing with thoughts of the events of the day, Tony looked down at his watch and realized Rolf had been gone ten minutes. Given that the coffee machine was just around the corner in the lounge, Tony got a suspicion something wasn't right.

And when he walked in the lounge that suspicion was confirmed as he stepped into a puddle of spilled coffee just a few feet away from blood spilling out from Rolf's slit throat.

"Oh, God," Tony said as he covered his mouth with his hand and recoiled in horror remembering all the blood his treacherous cousin had shed in the past. "Not again."

"Afraid so, Tony," said a familiar voice behind him. "Couldn't have Stefano's most faithful of servants trying to be a hero at the last minute and stopping me before I killed him. Just like I can't have you stopping me and that's why you're next."

Andre brandished his still bloody knife, but before he could make good on the threats he was panicked with fear with the sound of footsteps down the hall. Andre put the knife away in his pocket and pulled out a gun, ordering Tony to drag Rolf's body into a janitor's closet. Taking a moment to grab some dirty scrubs from the closet and wipe up the blood, Andre went into the closet intending to shoot Tony, but voices outside in the lounge stopped him from doing so.

"Tony, I saw you through that window," Anna said. "Where did you go?"

"Damn," Andre said, frustrated that yet another person stood in his way of killing Stefano and hearing Anna through the door of the janitor's closet.

"You won't get away with this, Andre," Tony said indignantly as Andre scratched his forehead with the gun trying to figure out what to do.

"No, you're right," Andre said. "I, Andre DiMera won't get away with this. But you will."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

Andre laughed as he ordered Tony to undress so that the two of them could trade clothes.

At first Tony struggled as if he was going to try to disarm him, but one whisper of Anna's name got him to back off and comply with all of Andre's orders, even as he took some rope to tie Tony to Rolf's dead body.

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?" Tony sneered.

"Thank you," Andre said with a smile. "But even if they say flattery will get you everywhere, I'm afraid in your case it will only get you locked in a janitor's closet."

"Just promise me you don't touch Anna, Andre," Tony said. "Don't touch one hair on her…"

"I promise," Andre said with a mischievous laugh as he took some duct tape off the workbench and placed it over Tony's face.

"Anna, darling," Andre said stepping out of the darkness of the closet while Anna's back was turned.

"Tony," Anna said relieved and walking over to hug Andre. "I was so scared when I got your message about Andre especially when I showed up here and I couldn't find you. By the way, where the hell did you come from?"

"Oh I was just… tying up some business, my dear," Andre said. "But that's all taken care of. Stefano wanted us to pick some clothes up for him at the mansion. Why don't we head back there?"

"Sure, Tony," Anna said locking her arms with Andre's, unable to shake the suspicion that something about her Tony was a little off, but eventually deciding it was just paranoia setting in after he kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Tony struggled to free himself from the rope. Because Andre had been in such a haste to make his getaway he hadn't tied the ropes very tight. Though pushing against Rolf's corpse to get free had not been an exceedingly pleasant experience for Tony, it had not been an exceedingly difficult one either.

When the locked door prevented him from escaping, Tony wondered if he would ever get out in time to warn everyone. Depressed he leaned against the wall and slunk down, until a bump beneath his backside gave him hope after all.

"That crazy bastard left his cell phone in his pocket," Tony said with a smile as he flipped open the phone and dialed. "Hello, Marlena?"

Chapter 30

Roman looked down at his watch impatiently as he stood at Kate's secretary's desk waiting for the assistant to get off the phone.

Even though he had only been waiting for about two minutes, he knew that might be two more minutes than he had to spare so while the secretary was looking under her desk to pick up a file he darted past her and opened Kate's door barging inside.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have an appointment?" said the secretary chasing after him. "Sir, Kate Roberts is an extremely busy woman and you'll just have to wait your turn like everyone else who…"

"Thank you for your diligence, Beatrice, but Roman Brady is a friend of mine and needs no appointment," Kate said as she sat at her desk giving her employee an icy stare.

"Oh, sorry, Ms. Roberts," Beatrice said nervously. "Do you want me to hold your calls?"

"Yes, that's fine. Whatever. Just leave us," Kate said with a sigh.

"She's new, isn't she?" Roman said with a wry smile. "Did you fire yet another secretary, Katie?"

"Not this time," Kate said throwing her hands in the air. "Penelope quit last week. Said I was too demanding of a boss and that she was sick of my micromanaging her work. Can you believe the nerve of that little bitch to say that to me?"

"I can't believe it," Roman said still smiling.

"Well, Roman," Kate said, "as much as I enjoy seeing you the most of all my ex-husbands I'm a little busy right now trying to finish this project before next Wednesday so I don't have too much time to chitchat…"

"I'm not here to chitchat, Katie," Roman said.

"What are you here for then?" Kate asked leaning back in her chair and folding her hands on her desk.

"I'm hear to talk about our kids," Roman said taking a seat on the edge of Kate's desk.

"Our kids?" Kate said. "You mean the Salem P.D. finally got word about the whereabouts of Rex and Cassie? Oh that's marvelous…"

"Uhhh no, Kate," Roman said uncomfortably. "We have absolutely no idea what happened to Rex and Cassie. It's as if they fell off the face of the earth. Sorry to get your hopes up like that. What I meant was I'm hear to talk to you about your son and my daughter, Lucas and Sami."

"Well, what about them?" Kate asked, trying to sound innocent but failing miserably.

"As you may know, Katie, Sami is missing. She left a note saying she ran away," Roman said.

"Oh really?" Kate said snickering. "A little old to be running away from home don't you think? Too old to get her picture on a milk carton for sure."

"Very funny," Roman said. "But any time now you can cut the comedy routine and tell me what you know about where Andre is keeping her and where Lucas took off to with Sami's twins."

"Uhhhh Roman…" Kate said. "I… I have no idea what you're talking about. Sami's twins, my grandchildren, are missing too? Hmmmm. And you think Lucas had something to do with it? I can't believe it."

"Really, Katie?" Roman said. "Well let's see if you can believe this. If you don't tell me what you know about Sami and Lucas believe that you don't have to worry about the SEC taking you down for Mythic because I'll press charges against you for blackmailing Nick Fallon into falsifying medical records."

"You wouldn't!" Kate said.

"Wanna try me?" Roman asked angrily. "You know, it takes some piece of work to be so obsessed with sabotaging her own child's happiness to throw her grandchildren away to the wolves, to those DiMeras, to let them nearly be cut from their mother's womb. I thought you were better than that, Kate, but I guess even when we were married I didn't know you at all."

Roman was about to walk out of Kate's office, but as the tears bubbled up from within Kate's heart she pleaded with him to say.

"Wait! Roman, don't go," Kate blubbered. "Listen, I know that Andre has Sami. I don't know where. And honestly I really hope you find her safe and sound."

"And what about Lucas?" Roman asked.

Kate paused as another wave of tears swept over her face.

"Tell me, Kate," Roman said. "You've wasted your whole life trying to protect Lucas, to keep him from getting hurt and all you've done is hurt the two of you over and over with your lying and scheming. Do you know where Lucas is?"

Kate nodded.

"Lucas came here before," Kate said. "He was a total mess. He'd been drinking, didn't look like he'd had any sleep and he told me he wanted to say good bye because he was leaving with the twins."

"Are you going to tell me where?" Roman asked.

Kate sighed as the tears began to dry up and she contemplated turning in her own son to the authorities.

"Look, Katie, I know this isn't easy for you, because you really do love your son and you would do anything for him, but if he was willing to blow the whistle on you and let you go down for Mythic for something you didn't even do just so he could get back at E.J., why should he expect you to keep quiet about something he did? Think of these grandchildren, Kate," Roman said. "These grandchildren that you put in danger when you had Nick falsify the lab reports. These grandchildren that you can help rescue from danger now."

"Roman, you always were my conscience," Kate said finally, digging in her top desk drawer to pull out a piece of paper with the location of the Italian villa where Lucas was headed and sliding it across the desk to him. "Always knew just what to say to get me to see what was right. It's a shame things didn't work out for us."

"It's a damn shame, Kate," Roman sighed.

The two of them just stared at each other contemplating what could have been and perhaps what should have been between them, but that was interrupted by Roman's ringing cell phone.

"Roman Brady," he said after opening the phone putting it to his ear. "Tony, you're trapped in a janitor's closet at the hospital? What da hell?"

Chapter 31

"What is it, Samantha? Are you scared?" E.J. asked with wildness in his eyes that terrified and thrilled his wife.

Sami nodded.

"Are you scared of me or are you scared of your feelings for me?" E.J. asked again.

"B-b-both," Sami admitted trembling.

To Sami's surprise, E.J. just smiled.

"Well you have nothing to fear from me," E.J. said leaning in to whisper in Sami's ear, his face lingering at her cheek and his breath pouring over the side of her neck. "Just tell me what you want… right now."

E.J. leaned back to observe the reaction on Sami's face.

At first Sami was in shock and her mouth spread agape at E.J.'s boldness and the strangeness of the moment. But then Sami's eyes squinted as her cheeks allowed a hint of a smile. That smile was reciprocated by E.J., who was pleased with Sami's response as she tightly grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him in for a deep, passionate, fiery kiss full of longing and desperation.

Finally breaking for air, the two of them paused to look at each other as they both tried to absorb the apparently life-changing moment they shared.

"I love you, Samantha," E.J. sighed. "I've always loved you and I always will."

"I love you, too, E.J. I want you to know that I want you," Sami blurted before pressing her lips against E.J.'s once more.

The two of them inhaled each other's breath as if they couldn't live without it while their hands began to roam and explore each other almost independently of their conscious thoughts. Sami made quick work of removing E.J.'s tie from around his neck, but as her fingertips drifted halfway down his shirt unbuttoning it, E.J. pushed back.

"What's wrong?" Sami asked breathlessly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," E.J. said with a bitter smile. "It's just… it's just…"

"It's just what?" Sami asked.

"Well I feel like a bloody fool saying this aloud, but it's just that I have wanted this moment for so long, Samantha…" E.J. said.

"And I have too," Sami said leaning in for another kiss before E.J.'s head swerved away from her lips.

"I know… but what I mean is… I've wanted this moment for so long, Samantha, that I sort of had it all planned out in my mind how it would go, you know?" E.J. said wistfully. "We'd share an intimate candlelit dinner, drink a bit of bubbly and do a little dancing…"

Sami smiled as E.J. put his left hand on her hip and took her left hand in his right and the two of them began dancing around the cinderblock room to an imagined romantic tune.

"And then what, E.J.?" Sami asked sliding her hands up his chest to wrap them around the back of his neck.

"And then you'd ask me if I wanted to lay down and listen to a little music," E.J. whispered in Sami's ear, his breath on her neck sending chills up her spine. "And then I would carry you upstairs to our bed and…

"And we'd make love for hours on a bed of rose petals?" Sami asked with mock sensuality before busting up laughing.

"Something like that," E.J. said through gritted teeth before hanging his head down.

Embarrassed, E.J. stopped and turned away from Sami, his ego deflated by the only person in the world capable of doing so.

"Hey, I'm sorry, E.J.," Sami said tugging on his arm and pulling him back toward him to face her and pushing his chin up to look at her. "Come here, you. Come back. I'm sorry. I just had no idea you were so sentimental. You know, I kind of like seeing that side of you."

"Well, good luck getting me to show that side again, sweetheart, if you're just going to take the mickey out of me for doing it," E.J. said with a smirk.

"No, no," Sami said lightly pounding on his chest with her fists. "Don't give up. I think it's romantic. Here, I can be sentimental, too."

Sami walked over to the corner and pulled out a dingy, old blanket, waving it around to clear off the dust before laying it flat on the floor.

"What's this?" E.J. asked with a curious smile.

"A bed of rose petals," Sami said biting her lip.

"Really?" E.J. asked. "Looks like a blanket to me."

"Well if I can pretend that you, Mr. Wells, are not a bastard but actually the love of my life then you can pretend this blanket is a bed of rose petals," Sami said with a grin.

"I suppose so," E.J. laughed before scooping up Sami in his arms to her delight and delicately laying her on the floor where the two of them shared slow, soft and deep passionate kisses and an experience even more sensual and perfect than E.J. had dreamed it would be.

For both of them, being in each other's arms was so enthralling it was as if they were two incomplete souls coming together as one and it was as if no one else existed in the world.

Perhaps that explains how the two of them failed to notice the door to their cinderblock room open.

Chapter 32

There was something about the way Tony touched her arm that sent shivers up Anna's spine and not in a good way. It wasn't that he was rough, but the electricity she felt when near the love of her life just wasn't there since she met up with him at the hospital.

Sure Tony looked the same and walked the same and talked the same, but there was something a little off she decided as the two of them headed into the mansion.

Anna tried to keep her deepest fear from being realized in a conscious thought, but the more time she spent with this seemingly strange man the harder it was to suppress.

"Well, Tony, I don't know about you but I'm beat," Anna said plopping down on the couch and pulling the man claiming to be her husband down with her. "What an exhausting 24 hours it's been. Can you believe it's only been a day since we were here having dinner with Stefano? Oh it's so dreadful he had to have that bad spell. He sure didn't look sick at all during dinner, wouldn't you say?"

"No, I wouldn't say that is how I saw him look during dinner," Andre said strangely.

Anna suddenly knew that the man in front of her was Andre, but before she made a move she needed confirmation first.

"Hey, Tony," Anna said with a slyness that completely masked her fear. "It's too bad that Stefano is in the hospital, but with Sami and EJ gone I think that means we have the house to ourselves.

Just as she suspected, when Anna winked and then swooped in for a kiss, Andre recoiled saying he was thirsty and asking if she would like some champagne.

While Andre left the room to head to the kitchen, Anna pulled out her cell phone and was just about to dial the last digit of the phone number where she hoped she would find the real Tony when a tapping on her right shoulder stopped her from dialing.

Anna was just about to scream, but the hand quickly muffled the sound her mouth tried to make. To Anna's surprise when she opened her eyes, however, the hand was not the rough, tanned one of Andre but a woman's.

"Marlena?" Anna asked as her friend came around the couch to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to find Sami. I think she's being kept somewhere here in the mansion," Marlena said. "And Tony called me to tell me to look out for you because Andre's impersonating him again."

"So Tony's all right?" Anna asked anxiously.

"Yes, for the most part," Marlena said. "He's just stuck at the hospital and wanted me to get over to warn you. But it looks like that's not necessary since Andre is already gone."

"Oh no, Marlena," Anna said with fright remembering herself. "You have to get out of here. I can handle myself but Andre is just in the kitchen right now. Quick, I think I hear him coming."

Just as the door to the parlor swung open, Marlena darted up the staircase, but if Andre saw her go up the stairs he didn't seem to much care as he failed to acknowledge her while he carried the champagne bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other.

As Andre poured her a glass and handed her the champagne flute after they clinked glasses, Anna wished she hadn't been so brave before with Marlena as she wondered if she really could handle herself if Andre had drugged her drink.

But to her relief, Andre seemed just as nervous of being found out as she was and quickly made up an excuse that he just remembered he needed to tidy up some matters at Mythic that couldn't wait.

After sharing an awkward kiss on the cheek, Anna opened up her phone and placed a call to warn Roman that trouble was on the way.

Meanwhile, Marlena began exploring the upstairs of the mansion, whispering Sami's name and treading softly afraid of what she might find in her search.

Marlena pressed open Sami's bedroom and found the room just as she had seen it earlier she thought at first glance, but evaluating the room again something was off.

Walking toward the closet she started to remember all the times she had held captive as part of DiMera plots and she began looking through the closet to see if there was a secret door there like the one Stefano had installed in the bedroom of her penthouse before she was possessed.

Finding nothing, she sighed and stood next to an eerie-looking painting on the wall that she noticed was tilted sideways even though it hadn't been like that when she was in the room before.

As she stared into the frightening painting and thought she saw its eyes move, she recoiled in horror sliding her hand against the bureau until it fell on the phoenix statue and accidentally opened a passageway she hadn't even realized was there.

"Oh my God," Marlena said stepping into the passageway. "Sami! Sami Gene! Are you here? Sami!"

Swallowing a lump in her throat as she walked in the darkness, Marlena breathed deep knowing the very distinct possibility she could open the door and find her daughter dead.

But when Marlena opened the door and saw her daughter, Sami was actually alive, although somewhat dead to her just the same as she saw her in the naked embrace of E.J. Wells, the dastardly DiMera who had shot her husband and terrorized Sami's family.

Despondent at the sight, Marlena shut the door and walked briskly down the hallway as if she could outrace the tears building up behind her eyes if she just got back to the secret passageway door before they fell down her cheeks.

But when Marlena stepped back into Sami's bedroom and leaned against the wall and shut the passage door behind her and leaned against it, still those tears fell and they fell fast and hard.

So fast and hard that Marlena didn't recognize the person in front of her through the blur of her tears until Anna finally said her name.

"Marlena, what's wrong?" Anna asked with concern.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 33

"No, no," Sami said lightly pounding on E.J.'s chest with her fists. "Don't give up. I think it's romantic. Here, I can be sentimental, too."

Sami walked over to the corner and pulled out a dingy, old blanket, waving it around to clear off the dust before laying it flat on the floor.

"What's this?" E.J. asked with a curious smile.

"A bed of rose petals," Sami said biting her lip.

"Really?" E.J. asked. "Looks like a blanket to me."

"Well if I can pretend that you, Mr. Wells, are not a bastard but actually the love of my life then you can pretend this blanket is a bed of rose petals," Sami said with a grin.

"I suppose so," E.J. laughed before scooping up Sami in his arms to her delight and delicately laying her on the floor where the two of them shared slow, soft and deep passionate kisses and an experience even more sensual and perfect than E.J. had dreamed it would be.

For both of them, being in each other's arms was so enthralling it was as if they were two incomplete souls coming together as one and it was as if no one else existed in the world.

Perhaps that explains how the two of them failed to notice the door to their cinderblock room open and Marlena peek inside before shutting the door again and disappearing.

"Mmmmm, E.J.," Sami cooed as E.J. left what seemed to be thousands of soft kisses on her neck as the two of them glistened with sweat and cuddled. "Wait. Wait a second. Did you hear something a couple moments ago?"

"You mean besides the earth shaking when…?" E.J. asked before Sami cut him off.

"I'm not talking about THAT, E.J.," Sami said punching him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" E.J. said with a grin as he rubbed his shoulder. "Is that any way to repay me for…"

"Shhhhhh," Sami said pressing her index finger to E.J.'s lips.

Sami looked around the room and wondered how long they had been trapped and how long her children had been with Lucas.

"Oh God, E.J.," Sami sighed in horror looking down at their naked bodies and holding her arms to her chest with embarrassment. "What am I doing? My twins are missing and all I can think about is sleeping with you? What kind of mother am I?"

"You're a great mother, Samantha," E.J. said kissing her shoulder and collarbone. "The best one there is."

"Thanks, E.J.," Sami said rolling her eyes. "But why do I have a feeling you would say anything right now to keep me in your arms?"

"Because I would," E.J. said with a smile before pulling her toward him so the two of them could share one more passionate kiss before they got up and dressed. "Come on, darling, we've got to find a way of here. Hmmmm."

As Sami and E.J. tried to scan the room to try to find something that would help them escape, a screwdriver in the corner of the room caught E.J.'s eye and he picked it up.

"A screwdriver?" Sami asked. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Well, not screw," E.J. said with a wink as he stuck the screwdriver into a crease between the door and its frame. "I'm going to try to use this as a lever… to see if… now I can just… there we go."

E.J. pulled back on the door and grinned wide as it opened into the hallway.

"Wow. That wasn't difficult at all," E.J. said proudly.

"That's because the door wasn't locked, E.J.," Sami said rolling her eyes.

"Minor details," E.J. said. "Now be quiet. We don't know who or what we'll find out here. Stay close."

But E.J. didn't have to tell Sami to stay close to him as she instinctively clung to him in the darkness and they made their way down the hallway toward the passage to her room.

"So this is how Andre took you from me?" E.J. whispered as they made their way down the hall, kissing the top of Sami's head after she nodded. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm so sorry for everything."

As E.J. went to open the passage door he asked Sami to stand behind her in case Andre or someone in his employ was standing guard. Sami squinted her eyes shut as she braced herself for the worst when E.J. burst through the door, but to her surprise all she found when she opened them was two blonde women, Anna DiMera and her mother, just as surprised as she was to see the two of them climb through the wall.

"Mom, you came looking for me?" Sami asked as she ran over to her mother for a tearful hug.

"Yes, Sami," Marlena said, stroking her daughter's hair. "I'm glad Andre didn't hurt you."

"Well Andre is going to be the one hurting for what he's done to Samantha," E.J. said, prompting a strange look of horror and disgust from Marlena he failed to notice. "But first we have to get Samantha's twins back. Have either of you seen Lucas?"

"No, but Roman found out some information about his whereabouts," Anna said, sharing some of the details from their recent phone conversation.

"Dad has been looking for me?" Sami said with a beaming smile as she looked at E.J. "What did he find out about my twins?"

"He said something about Italy," Anna said. "I guess Kate gave him the information on some villa where Lucas was taking the twins."

"Kate?" Sami said with her eyebrow raised. "Kate helped him help me get my twins back? Guess something good did come from my dad dating that monster after all."

"Oh, I bet I know just where Andre sent him. There's this old villa in Tuscany near the sea. Belonged to my family for generations," E.J. said excitedly. "Samantha, I'm going to go call down to the air strip and have the pilot get my father's jet ready so we can head for Italy right now and bring your twins home as soon as possible."

"Before you do, E.J., you should know about your father…" Marlena said with a pause that caused E.J.'s heart to jump in his throat.

"What about him?" E.J. asked with concern. "Is he? Don't tell me. Is he dead?"

"Well, are you trying to kill the poor boy with suspense, Marlena? No, Stefano's not dead," Anna said to E.J.'s relief. "He just had a pretty close call thanks to Andre and is staying in the hospital overnight for observation."

"That's a relief," E.J. said with a smile. "Hopefully, we can get the twins back home safe and sound by the time he's released."

E.J. reached his arm around Sami's shoulder and nodded as if to say goodbye to Marlena and Anna, but Sami brushed his hand away.

"No, E.J.," Sami said with a sigh. "The twins are my problem. You go be with your father."

"Sweetheart, your problems are my problems and it's my fault the twins got into the hands of Lucas in the first place," E.J. said. "We're going to bring them back home together."

"But E.J…" Sami said before she was interrupted.

"Actually, Sami, he is right in this case that your problems are his problems," Marlena finally blurted out, unable to watch them bicker any longer.

"What, Mom?" Sami asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"E.J. is the father of the twins," Marlena said, trying to mask her bitterness the best she could.

"Well that's fantastic!" Anna said cheerily, though everyone else in the room was too stunned (EJ and Sami) or apoplectic (Marlena) to share in the joy.

"But… but… I don't understand," E.J. said waving his finger in the air as if he could somehow physically point to an explanation for this chain of events. "The tests said that Lucas was the father."

"Apparently those tests were ordered doctored by Stefano DiMera," Marlena said coldly. "All part of his chess game. It's just that his supposed favorite son and grandchildren were the chess pieces this time."

Sami reached to E.J. to put her hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it away.

"My father kept the fact the twins were mine a secret from me?" E.J. said, his brow furrowed. "But why? Why would he manipulate me that way, manipulate us that way?"

"That's something you'll have to ask him," Marlena said flatly.

"Well, that can wait," E.J. said with a sigh. "Come on, let's go, darling. Let's go get our twins back."

As E.J. and Sami left the room and were far out of earshot, Anna asked Marlena if she was finally going to tell her what was wrong.

"Oh Anna, I… I… before you got up here I was looking for Sami and though she doesn't know that I saw her… I found her… with E.J.," Marlena sniffled.

"With E.J.?" Anna said, her eyebrow askew to indicate they both knew what that meant.

"Yes," Marlena sighed. "I opened the door to the room where Andre had kept them and I found them. Together. I guess that must have sort of been like what Sami must've felt walking in on me and John fifteen years ago."

Anna gave her friend a hug as Marlena began to sob, though Anna couldn't say she was surprised at all to hear that E.J. and Sami had finally acted on their feelings. She had noticed the two of them trying to deny it and hide it for so long already.

"Oh, John, what would he think if he was here to see this?" Marlena asked. "How can Sami have feelings for this man after what he's done to John, what he's done to all of us, what he's done to HER?"

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Marlena," Anna said with a sigh. "All I know is love is a complicated thing, especially when it involves a DiMera man."

"Not to mention when it involves a strong-willed, spoiled and selfish blonde," Tony chimed in as he entered the bedroom and put his arm around his wife, his touch telling her it was the real Tony.

Anna glared and feigned being offended, but Tony saw right through it and planted a passionate kiss on her lips so steamy and sublime that it would erase any doubt anyone might have had about whether the real Tony DiMera was before them.

Marlena decided she would leave the two of them alone and head to the hospital to look for Roman. As she shut Sami's bedroom door behind her and began walking out of the mansion she sighed with the realization that she would have to accept Sami's feelings for E.J., just as Sami had accepted her feelings for John.

Chapter 34

"You're so quiet, E.J." Sami said as she watched her husband stare out of the window of the DiMera jet solemnly and pensively. "Are you O.K.? I thought you would be happier to know that you are the father to Sofia and Eric John."

"Oh, Samantha," E.J. said turning away from the window and taking her hand in his. "You have no idea what it means to me to know that we are parents together, to have this family with you. I mean, I loved the twins as my own before and could have always loved them whether they shared my blood or not, but to know that I share this with you means everything to me."

"It means a lot to me too, E.J.," Sami said, wiping a tear from E.J.'s cheek with her thumb and caressing his face.

"So this was news to you, too?" E.J. asked, although the hurt in Sami's eyes at the question made him wish he hadn't posed it.

"E.J., I found out the truth about the twins the same time you did!" Sami said bitterly as tears began to fill her eyes. "I had no idea and am just as much a victim of your father's lies as you are! Not that I'm surprised he did this to me, but to you? When he knew how much you wanted to be a father? What kind of a monster would do such a thing? I swear, E.J."

E.J. sighed as he was wondering the exact same thing about his father, but Sami didn't seem to notice as she continued her rant.

"You know, what's crazy is I think I always wished the twins were yours, even when I was still with Lucas and even if I was too much of a hypocrite to admit it then," Sami said clucking her tongue. "Because I knew… I knew even then if I stayed married to Lucas I could still have you in my life if you were the father of my babies. And yet right now I don't know why I would wish that when you apparently think so little of me that you think I could do something so cruel as to keep your own children from you…"

Sami's voice trailed off as she remembered the fake amnio report she had doctored up to convince E.J. was the father and the hurt she had caused him that didn't look too much different than the way he looked now knowing his father had kept the truth from him.

"What am I talking about?" Sami said throwing her hands in the air. "Of course, you would assume I would do that. I did it to you once before with the amnio report. Not to mention the way I kept the truth from Lucas when he was Will's father. I guess I'm just as big of a monster as Stefano…"

"Shhhhhh," E.J. said trying to soothe his wife. "You're much too beautiful to be a monster."

"No, E.J." Sami said shaking her head. "It's the truth. I've done so many horrible things to people. Ever since I can remember I've been nothing but trouble to the people who cared about me."

"Well, it just so happens, I love trouble," E.J. said with a smile as he placed a soft, sweet kiss on his wife's lips.

Despite Sami's best intentions of staying hurt and upset, she couldn't suppress a grin from spreading across her face.

"Sweetheart, I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but I love you, all of you - the good and the bad – the liar and the flirt and the lover and the friend. I adore you, Samantha," E.J. said with a smile as he pushed a strand of hair behind Sami's ear. "And besides, I think we both know I'm in no position to judge anyone else's transgressions."

"Even so, E.J., I'm sorry," Sami said. "And I'm sorry that Stefano could be so cruel to keep the truth from you now."

"Thank you, my dear," E.J. said with a bittersweet smile.

Sami grabbed E.J.'s arm as he paused to look out the window wistfully.

"I would be lying if I said that it didn't hurt me," E.J. said turning his head back toward Sami. "And you know what? I don't ever want to lie to you. Let's make a promise to each other right now. That the two of us, no matter what, from here on out we'll always be honest to each other no matter what."

"I promise," Sami said kissing E.J.'s cheek.

"Good," E.J. said with a smile. "Because the only way we can be sure that we don't hurt each other is that we don't lie to each other about anything, even if we lie to everyone else about everything, we need to promise to tell each other the truth. I just wish Father had been honest with me, but no, like always he had to put his schemes ahead of his children. Samantha, even if I am Stefano's son I promise you I won't make the same mistakes. I'm going to always put you and the twins first. Always."

Sami could tell E.J. wanted to believe it was true, but sensed his self-doubt that he could escape the DiMera blood that ran through his veins. Instinctively, she reached out her hand to link with his to reassure him that she had faith in him and just as instinctively E.J. pulled the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Chapter 35

Roman gave his final orders to the last of his men as they headed back down to police headquarters and he climbed underneath the yellow police tape to pull up a chair and drink a cup of coffee as he sat alone looking at the crime scene in front of him in the hospital lounge.

He had freed Tony hours earlier, Rolf's body had long been moved and all the evidence had been taken to the lab, yet still Roman couldn't shake a feeling of dread as he sat there with that crumpled piece of paper Kate had given him in his fist. He was frustrated that his job required him to look for Andre while he wanted nothing more than to go looking for his daughter and grandchildren who were still missing. He had passed along the information about the Italian villa to the ISA, but for now his police duties kept him in Salem.

Just as he was about to get up and head back to police headquarters to pore over the evidence for clues of Andre's whereabouts, Andre made that answer apparent in the form of a gun pressed into the back of Roman's head.

"Don't move a muscle," Andre sneered. "Don't turn around. Don't make a move. Or you die."

"You don't want to do this, Andre," Roman reasoned.

"Like hell I don't!" Andre screamed. "Damn you Bradys always foiling my plans. Now Tony is free, Rolf is dead and everything is ruined."

"Andre, just tell me what you did with Sami and I'll let you go," Roman said. "It will be like we never saw each other."

"And then what?" Andre asked. "I help you get your daughter back so she can play DiMera princess with that lovesick puppy husband of hers while I'm exiled from the family by Stefano? No thank you. And to think what a good son I've been to him. Always faithful and obedient and putting the family first and yet he still honors that golden boy before me. I've spent my whole life coming up with ways of torturing you Bradys as he wanted me to and expected me to and now I find out it's all for nothing."

"Well, what do you want, Andre?" Roman asked. "If you kill me now aren't you just as under the thumb of Stefano DiMera as you've ever been."

"Watch your tongue," Andre said tightening his hand around Roman's throat. "I'm under the thumb of no man."

"So… I… I… stand corrected," Roman struggled to say.

"But you know, you're right?" Andre said with a crazed laugh and removing his hand from Roman's neck. "You're not the man I need to kill. Killing you won't help me get control of the DiMera dynasty. I need to kill… Stef… uh… nooooo."

Afraid but curious, Roman stood up and turned around slowly after hearing the thud of Andre's body on the floor and smelling the spilling fresh blood behind him.

To Roman's surprise, a red-faced Stefano stood in his hospital gown clutching a bloody scalpel staring angrily at Andre's dead body and its slit throat still oozing ruby liquid onto the floor.

Shocked, Roman said nothing for a moment before Stefano finally broke the silence between them.

"I should have done this after he killed Renee," Stefano said looking up at Roman with resignation. "But I didn't cut him out of my life then like I should have. I knew he was a monster but he was my monster, the one I had made, and so I kept using him. And now that he is of no use to me, I kill him. What a ruin I have made of my life and of the lives of my children."

Stefano dropped the scalpel to the ground and began to sob.

"Stefano, you did the right thing," Roman said.

"And you Bradys know all about righteousness don't you," Stefano said with a bitter laugh through his pain.

"Dammit Stefano, can you give your Brady hatred a rest already?" Roman said angrily. "What da hell do you want from us? My daughter agreed to your terms to end this stupid vendetta, didn't she? She gave herself to a marriage to a man she doesn't love and moved in with your sick family. And what did she get in return? Kidnapped and her twins stolen from her?"

Stefano sighed.

"For that I am truly sorry," Stefano said. "I do care a great deal for Samantha."

"Yeah you DiMeras sure have a funny way of showing you care about her," Roman said. "And you know what, Stefano? For some reason I have a hard time believing you much care for a couple of twin babies Sami shares with a man that isn't your son."

"But don't you know?" Stefano asked.

"Know what?" Roman asked.

"Those are my missing grandchildren as well," Stefano said.

"What da hell?" Roman asked as Marlena entered the hospital lounge.

"Oh dear, what happened?" Marlena asked as she saw the dead body on the floor and ran over to hug Roman.

"Go ahead and arrest me, Commander Brady," Stefano said extending his wrists toward Roman as if he was ready to be cuffed.

"In a minute," Roman said turning his attention to Marlena. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay the hell away from this hospital. I thought you were going to stay in my office at the police station."

"Well, Roman, that was the plan, but then I got a call from Tony and I thought it a good idea to check out the mansion and that's where Anna and I found Sami and E.J., in this secret room at the mansion," Marlena said trying to block out the memory of exactly how Sami and E.J. appeared to her as she found them. "Andre had locked them up."

"A secret room?" Roman snickered. "An Andre DiMera specialty. Well, where are they? Is Sami, O.K.? Did she come here to the hospital?"

"Oh, she's fine, Roman," Marlena said. "But she and E.J. are on a jet to Italy right now looking for their twins."

"Their twins?" Roman asked. "So it's true?"

"I'm afraid so," Marlena said hugging Roman and glaring at Stefano.

"Oh come on," Stefano said with a smile. "It's not so bad, is it? I mean, did you really want more spawn of Lucas Rrrrrrrrrrrroberts showing up in your family portraits? E.J. and Samantha's children will grow up beautiful and strong. And if the two of them bond over the search for the twins, well, I'm sure they'll give us all many more grandchildren during the course of their marriage."

"We'll just see about that, Stefano," Roman bragged. "Apparently your son has a little more honor than you give him credit for because he told me that he was going to give Sami a divorce just as soon as she returned safe and sound and I have no doubt in my mind that Sami will take him up on the offer."

"If you say so," Stefano said with a laugh, again extending his hands again to be cuffed, while Marlena made a funny face with the knowledge that Sami and E.J. would most certainly not be divorcing any time soon.

"Oh get out of here, old man," Roman said annoyed with Stefano's jovial mood. "We both know it was self-defense. There's nothing to charge you with and even if there was your lawyers would get you off anyway. Just go back to your room and dream about my family's demise some more."

Stefano honored Roman's order to leave the room, but not before kissing the back of Marlena's hand.

"Good evening, Marlena," Stefano said. "I am so happy that Samantha was not hurt by this ordeal and I hope there is word about our grandchildren soon."

Stunned at the phrase, "our grandchildren," Marlena just stared with her hand still hanging in the air and her mouth agape as Stefano walked out of the lounge.

"Doc, did you hear me?" Roman asked. "Is John's jet still in Salem? Do you think we could use it to make a quick trip to Italy just as soon as my boys get down here to clean this mess up?"

"Sure, Roman," Marlena said, still a little dazed. "I'll call the pilot right now."

Chapter 36

E.J. held Sami's hand as they walked up the dark path to the palatial villa that E.J. suspected was where Andre had sent Lucas to live. So as not to be spotted and give Lucas time to escape, they had parked their car back in the village and walked the few miles to the estate.

Sami worried E.J. wouldn't be able to find it in the dark as E.J. had only visited the estate once when he was a small boy, but he stubbornly swore he could never forget the place as it had been staying there that offered the only time he ever met his grandfather.

As the two of them passed by a bluff where they could see the moon's reflection shimmer and dance over the Mediterranean, Sami wished the two of them were visiting this place under different circumstances, on a vacation rather than a rescue mission. It had been so long since Sami had taken a real vacation and now that she was a DiMera she had the money to go anywhere on earth.

"Sweetheart, I promise I'll take you sightseeing when this is all over," E.J. said as if he could read her mind.

"Can we go to Venice, E.J.? Florence? Rome? The Leaning Tower of Pisa?" Sami asked.

"Why limit the trip to just Italy?" E.J. asked with a smile and a wink. "Sweetheart, when this is all over whether you want to or not I'm taking you on a grand tour of Europe and by the time we're through you'll have visited the world's greatest opera houses, seen the world's most exquisite works of art, eaten in the world's most fabulous restaurants and stayed in the world's most luxurious hotels."

"Well, that sounds great, E.J.," Sami said excitedly. "And when we're done I'll take you on a grand tour of America."

E.J. tried to suppress a laugh at that statement but failed so Sami punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey, what's so funny? We have culture in America too, you know," Sami said defensively walking briskly to speed ahead of him.

"Of course you do, darling," E.J. said tugging on her arm in front of him. "I just quite like getting a rise out of you. But I promise after Europe you can drag me to every tourist trap known to man if you want. You know I'd follow you anywhere."

"So I've noticed," Sami said looking back with a sly smile.

E.J. grabbed Sami's hand and the two of them walked holding hands the rest of the way until E.J. whispered in Sami's ear that they were getting close. E.J. tried telling Sami to hide behind a fence until he gave her an all clear signal, but Sami stubbornly insisted she was going with him and E.J. knew better than to waste more than a second trying to convince his wife to do something she didn't want to do.

As E.J. and Sami tried to sneakily slink up to the front door, just as they were about to break in a window a voice told them to halt. When they turned around they saw it was an Italian guard with a gun pointed at them.

"Emilio, put that gun away," E.J. said. "It's me. E.J. Stefano's son. And this is my wife, Samantha."

"Stefano's son?" the man said nervously.

"Yes, now just give me the gun and go and I won't tell him that you pulled a gun on me," E.J. said as the man handed him the weapon. "Go!"

As Sami watched the man run away she wondered what E.J. was up to.

"Trust me," he whispered, again reading her mind, and because she did she wrapped her arms around his sturdy torso as he pushed open the door with the gun outstretched ready to fire on anyone who tried to hurt them.

Yet when they entered the living room they found the place dark and strangely silent. Then Sami walked over to the couch and noticed the figure there with dark splotches all over his white shirt that shown in the moonlight through the glass patio doors.

"Oh, God, it's Lucas," Sami said as E.J. turned on the light and Sami ran her fingers over the dark red stains on his shirt. "I think he's been shot! Lucas is gone, E.J."

E.J. hurried over to her, but on the way nearly tripped over a pair of empty wine bottles.

"Lucas is gone, all right, Samantha, but I don't think he's been shot," E.J. said holding up the bottle. "Unless you think these bottles of Merlot pulled the trigger. I think someone got a little sloppy."

"You're right, E.J.," Sami said. "But if Lucas is here passed out, where are the twins?"

Almost as if on cue, a yelp from the back bedroom gave Sami her answer.

"Oh thank God!" Sami yelled. "Mommy's coming, Sofia and Eric John. I'm here!"

E.J. smiled as he watched Sami run to their children, but he didn't follow her. Instead he pulled his gun back out and pointed the gun in front of Lucas's face as he noticed him start to wake up at the sound of Sami's voice.

"Morning, sunshine," E.J. said with a sinister smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Sami found both Sofia and Eric John in their own cribs, healthy and happy to her great relief. She didn't know how long Lucas had been passed out, but luckily it hadn't been that long as the children were still well fed and simply in need of diaper changes. After Sami attended to the babies and placed them back in their cribs for more rest she wondered why E.J. hadn't followed her into the bedroom and so she walked back out to the living room.

Horrified, Sami stood in the hallway as she saw Lucas beg for his life as E.J. hovered over him menacingly with a gun pointed in his face, once more the terrifying and unforgiving man she hoped she'd never see again.

But then something strange happened.

"Lucas, how could you do it?!" E.J. screamed. "You tortured Samantha FOR YEARS, you justified attempting to kill her, letting her nearly die for a crime you committed and just generally treating her like crap all because she had briefly kept the truth from you that Will was your son? And yet you do the same thing to her as soon as you get the chance? You think nothing of keeping the truth from another man and running off with his children as if they were yours? You think nothing of these children and their rights that you would deny them a chance to know me as their father? Why should I let a hypocrite like you live?"

But as E.J. saw Lucas's lip quiver and he began to drunkenly sob at the revelation that Sofia and Eric John were E.J.'s kids and not his, E.J. got his answer. Lucas was not worth killing. And a part of him pitied him as he saw the same helpless look in Lucas's eyes that he imagined he himself had when Nick had revealed he was being blackmailed and made them all think Lucas was the father.

"So I take it you didn't know then before you teamed up with Andre in this," E.J. said.

Lucas shook his head no.

"Looks like you were nothing more than a pawn of Andre's to get some DiMera heirs out of the picture," E.J. said with pity as he slid his gun back into his jacket pocket before catching a glimpse of Sami staring at him from the hallway out of the corner of his eye. "Samantha…"

"E.J., the twins are fine," Sami said with a smile walking toward him and giving him a big hug. "They're going to be O.K. Our family is going to be O.K."

E.J. bent down to give Sami a deep and passionate kiss yet to his chagrin she began pushing him away.

"What?" E.J. asked. "What is it?"

"He's getting away, E.J.!" Sami squealed.

"Oh, let him," E.J. said leaning in for another kiss. "He's harmless and pathetic and now that I have you and these twins he has nothing."

"Well, that's still not good enough, E.J.," Sami said reaching in E.J.'s coat for his gun and chasing Lucas out the door.

E.J. just laughed as he saw Lucas re-enter the villa with Sami pointing a gun in his back.

"Ever since we've known each other Lucas, you've gotten away with every single stunt you pulled and come up smelling like a rose while I had to crawl on my knees to get you to take me back because I was the town pariah," Sami said. "Well not this time, Lucas. Because I don't ever want you back. And it's time for you to pay for your crimes."

"Samantha, I don't think murder is the answer," E.J. said. "He's not worth it."

"Get some rope, E.J. Find an extension cord. Something," Sami commanded as she coldly stared down the man under the barrel of her gun.

"You're not planning to do the same thing to him you did to me when I was tied up, eh?" E.J. joked while he looked through a closet and finally turned up some rope.

"I just might if you don't stop cracking jokes," Sami said with exasperation.

With her gun Sami motioned for Lucas to take a seat in the dining room chair while she had E.J. tie Lucas up.

"That should hold you until the ISA arrives," Sami said with a proud smile on her face.

Sensing Lucas's agony and humiliation that Sami had won and he would soon be going to jail, Sami thought back on Lucas's treatment of her over the years, especially his marriage to her sister Carrie, and pulled E.J. in for an embrace after he had finished tightening the rope binding Lucas to the chair.

"I love you, E.J., more than I've ever loved any man," Sami said before leaning up on her tip toes hungrily to enjoy a deep and passionate kiss with her husband.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," E.J. whispered in Sami's ear after they broke away from the kiss, completely aware of what she was doing.

"I thought you said you loved both my good and bad sides," Sami said with a wink as E.J. kissed her on the forehead. "Now go give our babies a kiss from their father already. They told me they missed you."

E.J. walked back toward the bedroom and then paused at the hallway to look back at his wife taunting Lucas and sighed with admiration before walking back to the bedroom to see the babies.

E.J. excitedly walked over to the crib expecting to feel something different as he looked on Eric John and Sofia with the knowledge they shared his blood, but to his surprise he felt exactly the same looking at them. Sure, he found them just as radiant and wonderful as ever, and sure his heart warmed with every breath he watched them take, but though everything should have changed, nothing had for him.

As E.J. picked up Sofia and Eric John in each of his long limbs and his head shifted attention between the two of them, he failed to notice their mother enter the room.

"I told you they missed you," Sami said with a smile as she entered the room and ran her hands on top of her babies' heads while she leaned in to give E.J. a quick kiss on the lips.

"So how does it feel, Dad?" Sami asked. "Holding our children in your arms."

"It feels good," E.J. said with a smile. "But it's funny. It doesn't feel that different than it did before. Maybe I knew all along I was the father. Or maybe I had just grown to love them so much it ceased to matter if I was the father or not."

"Well it matters to me," Sami said taking Sofia in her arms and rocking her gently. "I'm very glad you and your brother have E.J. for a father instead of that other guy."

"Speaking of that other guy…" E.J. said wondering what Lucas was doing.

"Oh, I just had to take a break from tormenting him," Sami said. "He was about to pass back out again anyway. Hey, I know what I'll do. I'll push his chair in here and then we can all be together while I can keep an eye on him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" E.J. asked. "I mean letting him be in here with us on our first night together as a family."

"Well he tried pretty damn hard to try to take this moment away from us, E.J., so I want to do whatever I can to make sure he remembers how spectacularly he failed," Sami said with a fierce smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 37

E.J.'s eyes opened and though his stiff neck protested him having slept on the nursery floor leaning against a wall, the pile of soft, sweet-smelling blonde hair using his chest as a pillow made a little soreness when he first woke up completely worthwhile.

E.J. didn't know what time he and Sami had passed out with the two of them lying on the floor in front of Sofia and Eric John's cribs. Though Sami was totally asleep with her left arm wrapped across E.J.'s torso, E.J. smiled as he noticed she still kept the gun in her hand pointed toward Lucas.

As E.J. looked up at Lucas and saw him awake, E.J. smiled wondering how long Lucas had been awake sitting there silently, helpless but to watch the two of them snuggle and bask in the joy of their family being reunited. E.J. wrested the gun from Sami's hand and kissed her on the top of her head, which roused her from sleep.

Sami yawned and stretched like a cat after her satisfying slumber.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it, E.J.?" Sami asked. "How did you sleep?"

"Well, I enjoyed my sleeping companion very much, but the mattress was a little firm," E.J. said patting the floor then rubbing his neck.

"I'm sorry, honey," Sami said affectionately. "Does your neck have a kink in it? Here, let me rub it."

A Cheshire grin spread across E.J.'s face as he looked up at Lucas's angry face while Sami began kneading his shoulders, occasionally stopping to place a little peck of her lips on the nape of his neck inciting satisfied moans and sighs from E.J.'s throat.

"Could you two give it a rest already?" Lucas finally raged. "I get it! You two are sooooo in love with each other and you just love torturing me with that fact. I know now. If I didn't know before, I sure as hell can see it now. But you don't have to keep rubbing it in my face. At this point, I'd rather you just stop threatening me and go ahead and shoot me so I don't have to keep looking at this."

E.J. just laughed while Sami popped up from behind E.J.'s shoulder to say, "That can be arranged."

But the three of them paused as they heard the sound of a person entering the front door.

"What's that?" Sami asked.

"I bet it's Andre," Lucas said with a smile. "Looks like I'll be free after all. And you two are going to die."

"Shut up, Lucas," E.J. said putting the gun to Lucas's head. "Sami, take the twins and you hide in the closet until everything is O.K."

Sami cried with fear but did as instructed and gathered up Sofia and Eric John in her arms and shut them in the closet while E.J. waited for the figure walking down the hallway to the nursery room to reveal himself.

"Andre?" E.J. asked as he saw a shadow with a gun in his hand moving closer to the door.

"No. Andre's dead," a familiar voice said. "Your father killed him."

E.J. breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Roman Brady, Marlena Evans and a team of ISA agents enter the room with guns drawn.

"My father killed him?" E.J. muttered to himself under his breath with a shocked smile spreading across his face.

"Thank God you're here," Lucas yelped excitedly. "E.J. was just about to kill me. He's crazy, not that it's any surprise considering he's one of those DiMeras, right? But… but… anyway he kidnapped Sami and he took the kids and he was just about to kill me so he could get me out of the picture for good. Now… now you guys can untie me and arrest him. Right?"

E.J. just looked over at Lucas and furrowed his brow turning his head to the side in amazement at what a brazen yet terrible liar the little man was.

"Nice try, Lucas," Roman said with a laugh. "I might believe that if your mom hadn't already implicated you in the twins' kidnapping and abetting Andre's schemes. How in da hell do you think we found this place?"

"Mom?" Lucas said as tears started filling in his eyes and ISA agents hauled him out of the villa to be arrested and booked on kidnapping charges.

Meanwhile, Sami came out of the closet with the babies realizing the coast was clear.

"Dad?" Sami asked excitedly as she dropped the twins into E.J.'s arms and embraced Roman in a big bear hug, followed by one for Marlena, and then another hug for her dad. "You found me! You came to rescue me! You knew I hadn't run away and abandoned my family. I was so worried you wouldn't realize the truth and would just assume I hated E.J. so much I had ran away to escape this marriage."

Roman looked helplessly at Marlena and E.J. wondering if either would blow his cover that he had assumed just as Sami had feared he would before the two of them had helped him to see the truth, but the smiles on their faces told him that his secret was safe.

"Well, the truth is Sami, when E.J. told me that you were missing and needed my help looking for you, he promised he would let you out of this marriage just as soon as you were safe and sound again," Roman said looking sternly at E.J. to see if he would honor his pledge. "So you can escape this marriage."

"You promised that, E.J.?" Sami asked.

"Yes, Samantha. As I told your father when I thought I had lost you, I don't want to trap you in a loveless marriage and keep you by my side against your will," E.J. said as his heart sunk with fear that just as quickly as he had been united with Sami body and soul he would have her ripped away from him once again by the pressure and expectations of her family. "So I am willing to give you a divorce…"

"What if I don't want a divorce?" Sami asked with a smile that was soon met by a smile on E.J.'s face hearing the question.

"What da hell do you mean you don't want a divorce?" Roman asked indignantly, while Marlena tried to calm him down.

"Now Dad," Sami said. "I know you and E.J. have had your differences…" 

"That's putting it mildly," Roman huffed.

"But you're just going to have to learn to live with each other," Sami said. "Whether I stayed married to him or not you two would need to make peace for these babies and… at least for now… I think I want to stay married to E.J. We're a family now."

Sami grabbed Sofia from E.J.'s arm and held her in her right arm while wrapping her left one around E.J.'s back and lifted her chin up proudly while E.J. looked at his father-in-law with bemusement holding Eric John.

"Well, I still don't like you, E.J. Wells, but I guess I'm going to have to accept that she does," Roman said extending his hand.

"The feeling is mutual, Mr. Brady. I assure you," E.J. said with a cocksure smile as the two men shared an awkward handshake.

"But that doesn't mean I'm going to be accepting you and the twins living at that mansion with his old man any time soon," Roman said turning to Sami.

"Well, we won't be going back there for a while," E.J. said.

"We won't?" Sami asked turning to E.J. with surprise.

"Darling, I thought you wanted to do some sightseeing while we were here," E.J. said. "And we never did get a proper honeymoon."

"Roman, I think that's our cue to leave," Marlena said nudging Roman's arm, even though he didn't understand why. "Why don't you leave the twins with us for the night and we'll take care of them at our hotel? You two have to be exhausted from this whole ordeal and could use some time to decompress before getting back into parenting mode."

E.J. bit his lip and looked at Sami with primal lust.

"Thanks, Mom, we'd really appreciate that," Sami said before giving her mother a giant hug and kissing the twins good bye before E.J. patted them each on the head.

"Be good for your grandparents," E.J. called to the twins as they were carried out by Roman and Marlena before he shut the door and sighed as he leaned against it.

"Be good for your wife," Sami said walking over to E.J. and running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm always good," E.J. said as he picked her up, smothered her lips with his and carried her back to the villa's master bedroom.

After hours of soul-shaking, bed-breaking, breathtaking lovemaking, E.J. rolled over on his side, sweaty and exhausted, as he placed one hand behind Sami's head while the other toyed absentmindedly with her bare navel.

"How do you feel?" E.J. asked as he watched his wife's chest sink and soar with each deep breath as their heart rates started to return to normal.

"Heavenly," Sami said with a smile turning on her side to face her husband "E.J., I never knew it could be like this. I honestly can't even begin to describe what you do to me. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"Well, now that you ask, I am still feeling a little sore and I was wondering if you could finish that neck rub you started earlier," E.J. pleaded with doe eyes, prompting Sami to pick up a pillow and try to hit him in the face before he deflected it away and laughed.

"Oh, just roll over already. I don't want to see your face," Sami said in mock anger as she began going to work still laying on her side and releasing the tension in her husband's shoulders and neck.

"That feels so good, Samantha," E.J. moaned appreciatively. "Yes, right there. That's the spot. You almost got it. Ahhhhh. Thank you. So I was thinking, darling… while this villa is very nice, I am anticipating you will want to go back to Salem sometime."

"Yes, E.J.," Sami said dreamily, still digging her fingertips into her husband's strong shoulders and arms, somewhat amazed as she contemplated that the Adonis laying in front of her was hers and hers alone and those shoulders and arms existed only to hold her.

"I wish I knew what to do about my father," E.J. said. "Oh, over a couple inches. There. There you have it… Ahhhh. Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to say to Stefano when I see him. I'm glad he finally had the good sense to get rid of Andre once and for all, but I hate that he kept that I was the father of the twins from us."

"I do too," Sami sighed as she began placing little kisses up and down E.J.'s spine.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" E.J. said turning around to face his wife.

"Of course," Sami said leaning in to kiss him on the lips before being unceremoniously stopped by his index finger pressed across her mouth.

"Well, if you're listening then tell me what you think we are supposed to do, Samantha?" E.J. asked while Sami pouted. "How can we go to back to living at the mansion? Sure, I'll get disinherited if I move out, but it's worth it not to have him meddling in our lives don't you think? I mean, he manipulated us with the twins, he manipulated you into this marriage with me… hell when you think about it he even manipulated both of us with that conversation at dinner to help you come to the conclusion that you wanted to sleep with me…"

"E.J., your father has nothing to do with why I want to sleep with you," Sami said nibbling on his ear lobe before pulling her head back to speak again. "Now your grandfather on the other hand…"

"Samantha, you know what I mean," E.J. said.

"Yes, and I also know it's foolish of us to move out of the mansion and give up your claim to the DiMera fortune when Stefano can't have that many lives left," Sami said, resuming her ear nibbling.

"I suppose you're right," E.J. said with a sigh, only twitching slightly from the particularly sharp bites.

Pausing in deep thought for a minute, E.J. pondered how he might work at repaying Stefano and he began caressing his wife's face.

"I know now, sweetheart," E.J. said finally. "We'll come back from Italy, but you'll still pretend like you hate me like you did before. We can still be together in secret, but whenever anyone else is around we'll still pretend like we hate each other and we'll stage these huge fights with each other. That way Stefano won't have the satisfaction of thinking his plan to get us together worked."

"But what if that's not part of my plan?" Sami scoffed.

"Your plan?" E.J. said, perplexed.

"Yes. My plan, E.J." Sami said pulling E.J. on top of her. "You're on my chessboard now and you better get used to it."

E.J. smiled and kissed his wife deeply thinking he could very happily get used to that.


End file.
